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Mayhem Has Legal Roots
Legally speaking, mayhem refers to the gruesome crime of deliberately causing an injury that permanently disfigures another. The name derives via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb maheimer ("to maim") and is probably of Germanic origin; the English verb maim comes from the same ancestor. The disfigurement sense of mayhem first appeared in English in the 15th century. By the 19th century the word had come to mean any kind of violent behavior; nowadays, mayhem can be used to suggest any kind of chaos or disorder, as in "there was mayhem in the streets during the citywide blackout."
Examples of mayhem in a Sentence
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024
And what sort of mayhem might Bernard have to manage?
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Nov. 2024
Over the past decade, Trump’s tenure in the political arena has stirred far more mayhem than a grandma’s profanities and arm-tugging.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 3 Nov. 2024
There’s grinning mayhem, world leaders fighting zombies, Jackie Chan protecting a panda and two fresh film festivals.
—Chris Foran, Journal Sentinel, 16 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near mayhem
Cite this Entry
“Mayhem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayhem. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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Medical Definition
California Statewide Law Enforcement Association Legal Definition
mayhem
noun
Note: Under the Model Penal Code and the codes of the states that follow it, mayhem is encompassed by assault and aggravated assault.
Anglo-French mahaim, mahain, literally, mutilation, from Old French mahain, from mahaignier to injure, mutilate
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