maim
/meɪm
/verb [with object]
Wound or injure (a person or animal) so that part of the body is permanently damaged: 100,000 soldiers were killed or maimed...
- And I don't think any player goes on the field to deliberately hurt or maim someone.
- The last thing I needed was to be maimed by a wild animal two hours before my birthday.
- He then claims he will permanently maim the younger man - one fears the worst - but, in fact, does no such thing.
Synonyms
injure, wound, hurt, disable, put out of action, incapacitate, impair, mar, mutilate, lacerate, disfigure, deform, mangle
Origin
Middle English: from Old French mahaignier, of unknown origin.
mayhem from early 16th century:
Between the 15th and 19th centuries mayhem was a crime which involved maiming a person so that they could no longer defend themselves. In origin the word is a form of maim (Middle English), which came through French but whose ultimate origin is unknown. The modern sense ‘violent or extreme disorder’ originated in the USA in the 19th century.