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DictionaryRoot: mahaigne
Old French

mahaigne

injury, harm

1 / 1
Aftermath of violent street disorder: overturned chairs, smashed plain shop window and scattered broken pots in a small public square, chaotic destruction without injured people, flames or writing.
noun

mayhem

MAY-hem/ˈmeɪhem/

Wild or destructive disorder.

Etymology
mayhemOld Frenchinjury, harm

From a word for bodily injury, mayhem became a legal term for maiming people so they could no longer fight effectively. Its meaning broadened to violent disorder and destructive chaos.

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