mael·strom 
(mālstrəm)
(mālstrəm)n.
1. A violent or turbulent situation: caught in the maelstrom of war.
2. A whirlpool of extraordinary size or violence.
[Obsolete Dutch : Dutch malen, to grind, whirl (from Middle Dutch; see melə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + Dutch stroom, stream (from Middle Dutch; see sreu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]