mayhem
UK[ˈmeɪ.hem]US[ˈmeɪ.hem]
n
A situation involving violent public disorder or chaos.
n
The crime of willfully maiming or crippling a person.
Etymology
The word 'mayhem' entered English in the 15th century from the Anglo-Norman French 'mahaim', meaning 'bodily injury' or 'crime of violence'. This, in turn, derived from the Old French 'meshaing', meaning 'loss of a body part' or 'wound'. The ultimate origin is likely the Proto-Germanic root 'maid-', meaning 'to cripple' or 'to injure', which is also related to the Old Norse 'meiða'. The legal sense of 'mayhem' as a specific crime involving maiming evolved into the broader, more common modern meaning of violent chaos and disorder.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from Anglo-Norman French. It is not productively formed from separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The protest descended into absolute mayhem, with windows smashed and fires started.
The children left the playroom in a state of complete mayhem.
In medieval law, mayhem was a serious felony distinct from murder.