maelstrom
NounUS[meyl-struhm]/ˈmeɪlstrəm/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Word of the day · Nov 15About this word
aberrationnoun
a state or condition markedly different from the norm
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Mael′strom noun
Origin: Norw., a whirlpool.
1. A celebrated whirlpool on the coast of Norway. Hence: any large or powerful whirlpool. Syn. — whirlpool, vortex.
2. Also Fig. An uncontrollable agitated or confusedly disordered state or situation; as, a maelstrom of vice.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC