maelstrom

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈmeɪlˌstɹɔm/ UK /ˈmeɪlˌstɹəm/ See IPA manual

Freq #44158

Meanings

1

noun
A situation of great confusion, turmoil, or violent activity.

After the scandal broke, the politician was caught in a maelstrom of criticism.
2

noun
A large, powerful whirlpool of swirling water.

The boat was nearly pulled under by the swirling maelstrom.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a situation of great... pandemonium

2 noun · a large, powerful whirlpool... whirlpool

More vortex

Word family

Forms maelstroms

Derived forms maelstromic

Etymology

The word was originally the name of a giant whirlpool off Norway in the Arctic Ocean which was said to destroy all ships that came close to it, likely the actual tidal pool system of Moskstraumen in Lofoten. It is borrowed from early modern Dutch maelstrom (“whirlpool”) (obsolete) (modern Dutch maalstroom), from malen (“to whirl around; to grind”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”)) + stroom (“stream; river; current or flow of water or other liquid”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow, stream”)), and was popularized by Edgar Allen Poe’s short st…

*melh₂- Proto-Indo-European maelstrom Dutch *srew- Proto-Indo-European

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# maelstrom

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmeɪlˌstɹɔm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmeɪlˌstɹəm/
**Frequency rank:** 44158

## Meanings
1. A situation of great confusion, turmoil, or violent activity.
2. A large, powerful whirlpool of swirling water.

## Examples
- After the scandal broke, the politician was caught in a maelstrom of criticism.
- The boat was nearly pulled under by the swirling maelstrom.

## Synonyms
- vortex

## Derived Forms
- maelstromic

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *melh₂-
- Root: maelstrom
- Root: *srew-

## Etymology
The word was originally the name of a giant whirlpool off Norway in the Arctic Ocean which was said to destroy all ships that came close to it, likely the actual tidal pool system of Moskstraumen in Lofoten. It is borrowed from early modern Dutch maelstrom (“whirlpool”) (obsolete) (modern Dutch maalstroom), from malen (“to whirl around; to grind”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”)) + stroom (“stream; river; current or flow of water or other liquid”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow, stream”)), and was popularized by Edgar Allen Poe’s short st…

## AI Etymology
Maelstrom the word was originally the name of a giant whirlpool off Norway in the Arctic Ocean which was said to destroy all ships that came close to it, likely the actual tidal pool system of Moskstraumen in Lofoten. It is borrowed from early modern Dutch maelstrom (“whirlpool”) (obsolete) (modern Dutch maalstroom), from malen (“to whirl around; to grind”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”)) + stroom (“stream; river; current or flow of water or other liquid”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow, stream”)), and was popularized by Edgar Allen Poe’s short st… The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *melh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), maelstrom (Dutch), and *srew- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include a situation of great confusion, turmoil, or violent activity and a large, powerful whirlpool of swirling water. The wider family includes derived forms such as maelstromic.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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