maelstrom

Meaning

1. A large and violent whirlpool.
2. (figuratively) A chaotic or turbulent situation.

Synonyms

whirlpool

vortex

whirl

eddy

whirlwind

chaos

turmoil

upheaval

tourbillon

convulsions

gyre

hurly-burly

swirl

Translations

tourbillon

vorágine

maalstroom

vórtice

remolino

vortice

turbilhão

Mahlstrom

redemoinho

Strudel

voragem

torbellino

maëlstrom

vórtice

Wirbelwind

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmeɪlˌstɹəm/

Etymology

Cognate with Dutch: maalstroom

Cognate with Danish: malstrøm

Cognate with German: Mahlstrom

Cognate with Swedish: malström

In summary

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