mayhem
n. uncountablen. a situation where there is no order and everything is out of control. It often involves a lot of noise, excitement, or damage.
n. a state of violent disorder, confusion, or havoc. While historically referring to the criminal act of disabling a person's body, modern usage describes chaotic environments or situations.
The sale caused absolute mayhem in the department store.
When the electricity went out during the storm, total mayhem broke out in the crowded subway station.
The sudden resignation of the prime minister plunged the capital into political mayhem, as rival factions scrambled to secure power before the morning news cycle.
From Middle English mayme, mahaime, from Anglo-Norman mahaim (“mutilation”), from Old French meshaing (“bodily harm, loss of limb”), from Proto-Germanic maidijaną (“to cripple, injure”) (compare Middle High German meidem, meiden (“gelding”), Old Norse meiða (“to injure”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (maidjan, “to alter, falsify”)), from Proto-Indo-European mey- (“to change”). More at mad. The original meaning referred to the crime of maiming; the other senses derived from this. Another possible etymology derives the Old French from Provençal maganhar, composed of mal (“evil”) and ganhar (“to obtain, receive”) (compare with Spanish ganar and Italian gavagnare and guadagnare), so literally "to obtain, receive something evil". The sense "chaos" may have arisen by popular misunderstanding of the common journalese expression "rioting and mayhem".
Typically uncountable; often preceded by intensifiers like 'absolute', 'total', or 'pure'.