maelstrom

Definition

A large and violent whirlpool.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

• "To his right fell a gleaming sheet of water, and below it was a maelstrom, that made one giddy by its terrific gyrations."
• "The falukah plunged over a waterfall and was almost submerged, was caught again in a maelstrom and went twirling on in the blackness."
• "A hulking shape burst through the doorway and hurtled down the corridor, leaving a maelstrom of air currents in his wake."