maelstrom
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maelstrom
- /ˈmeɪl.stɹəm/ UK
- /ˈmeɪlˌstɹɒm/ UK
- /ˈmeɪl.stɹəm/ US
- /ˈmæl.stɹəm/ US
- /ˈmeɪlˌstɹɑm/ US
- /ˈmeɪlˌstɹɔm/ US
Where it comes from
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 story A Descent into the Maelström (1841).
Cognates
* Danish malstrøm
* German Mahlstrom
* Swedish malström
noun maelstroms · maelström
-
A large and violent whirlpool.
To his right fell a gleaming sheet of water, and below it was a maelstrom, that made one giddy by its terrific gyrations.
Similar: vortex
-
A chaotic or turbulent situation.
It was of Jean Paul's doing: some single billow in that vast World-Mahlstrom of Humour, with its heaven-kissing coruscations, which is now, alas, all congealed in the frost of death!
Similar: pandemonium
Translations
Every language
noun large and violent whirlpool
| Español | vorágine |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 狂瀾怒涛 kyōrandotō, 大渦巻き ōuzumaki |
| 中文 | 漩渦 /漩涡 xuánwō, 旋渦 /旋涡 xuánwō |
| Português | voragem |
| Français | maëlstrom, tourbillon |
| Deutsch | Mahlstrom, Strudel |
| Italiano | maelstrom, vortice, gorgo, voragine |
| Ελληνικά | δίνη díni |
| Română | vârtej |
| Русский | водоворо́т vodovorót |
| עברית | מערבולת maarbòlet |
noun chaotic or turbulent situation
| Español | vorágine |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 狂瀾怒涛 kyōrandotō |
| 中文 | 混亂局面 /混乱局面 hùnluàn júmiàn |
| Português | turbilhão |
| Русский | водоворо́т vodovorót, вихрь vixrʹ |
Talk about this word "maelstrom." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/maelstrom. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. maelstrom. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/maelstrom "maelstrom." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/maelstrom.Cite this
@misc{maelstrom_2026,
title = {maelstrom},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/maelstrom},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
