maim

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to injure a person or animal so severely that a body part is permanently damaged or lost

   The explosion could maim anyone standing near the device.

Simplified etymology

Maim entered English in the Middle Ages through French, but its ultimate origin is unknown. A form of this word later produced mayhem, originally a legal term for an injury that left someone unable to defend themselves.

From Middle English maimen, through Anglo-Norman maheimer or mahaigner, a Germanic-derived verb meaning 'to injure or disable.' It is historically related to mayhem, which originally denoted the crime of violently maiming someone.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary