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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
Brooke Baitinger, Sacramento Bee, 15 Jan. 2025
On Potomac, however, all of the potential to meaningfully explore queerness on a Black franchise — after years of the gay men of RHOA being trotted out and swapped like Pokémon cards — is effectively overridden by Mia’s persistent state of mayhem.
—Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2025
The Exponential Festival makes aesthetic mayhem at the Brick Theatre and its satellites.
—The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025
Same spirit of mischief, totally different brand of mayhem.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 7 Jan. 2025
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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 26 Jan. 2025.
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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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