mayhem

Home > ... > Social Sciences and the Law > Law > Crime and Law Enforcement > ...

Essential reading Compare
side-by-side The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

mayhem

mayhem , in common law , the crime of willfully injuring a person so as to diminish his or her capacity for self-defense. Cutting off an arm or leg would thus be mayhem, while such a battery as cutting off an ear would not. Under modern statutes, however, mayhem (or maiming) is a form of aggravated battery that leads to mutilation (such as loss of an ear), disfigurement, or serious permanent injury; jurisdictions vary in requiring specific intent to cause the injury or, more broadly, wanton behavior leading to it.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-mayhem" title="Facts and information about mayhem">mayhem</a>

Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

"mayhem." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"mayhem." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mayhem.html

"mayhem." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mayhem.html

Learn more about citation styles

mayhem

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

mayhem (leg.) crime of violently inflicting bodily injury. XV. — AN. ma(i)hem, mahaym MAIM.

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O27-mayhem" title="Facts and information about mayhem">mayhem</a>

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

T. F. HOAD. "mayhem." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "mayhem." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 26, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mayhem.html

T. F. HOAD. "mayhem." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved December 26, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-mayhem.html

Learn more about citation styles

Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries and thesauruses

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English entry for mayhem

Rate these entries|See all related entries

Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Mystic Mayhem on Shelves November 20 From Multimedia 2000; First Online Strategy Combat Game Written Completely in Sun's Java Programming Language Opens New World of Gaming Adventure. Business Wire; 11/13/1998
	Multimedia 2000 Announces Free Demo of Mystic Mayhem; Free Download Available of Mystic Mayhem, The First Online Strategy Combat Game Written 100% in the Java Programming Language. Business Wire; 10/16/1998
	Zoinks! Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem to Hit Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube in Early 2004; Scooby-Doo! Mystery Mayhem for Game Boy Advance Now Available. Business Wire; 9/16/2003

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

	Marilyn Manson and Slayer to Top the Bill on Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival '09. PR Newswire; 1/28/2009; 700+ words ; ...TRIVIUM, CANNIBAL CORPSE, Many More Mayhem Ensues July 10 in Sacramento, CA LOS...PRNewswire/ -- Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, the most electrifying carnival...Organizers of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival announced today that hard music...
	Mystic Mayhem on Shelves November 20 From Multimedia 2000; First Online Strategy Combat Game Written Completely in Sun's Java Programming Language Opens New World of Gaming Adventure. Business Wire; 11/13/1998; 609 words ; ...Multimedia 2000 Inc. today announced a November 20 shelf date for Mystic Mayhem, the first Java(TM)-based game on the market from Mayhem Games. Mystic Mayhem is a multiplayer online strategic fantasy game. Opponents from all over the...
	Fed: Suburban Mayhem scores most AFI nominations Newspaper article from: AAP General News (Australia); 12/8/2006; 700+ words ; ...Australia) 12-08-2006 Fed: Suburban Mayhem scores most AFI nominations List of nominees...Williamson * Macbeth - Will Gibson * Suburban Mayhem - Robert Humphreys ACS * Ten Canoes...Clayton Jacobson and Sean Lander * Suburban Mayhem - Stephen Evans * Ten Canoes - Tania Nehme...
	Making Mayhem; Mystics' Pep Squad Provides Good Cheer Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 6/26/2000; ; 700+ words ; ...visiting New York Liberty. Yet the Mystics Mayhem kept cheering. "Through the hoop, through the hoop." The Mayhem kids swooped their arms in a slam-dunk...s WNBA team has relied on the Mystics Mayhem--30 boys and girls ages 7 to 18...
	Mayhem is latest metal fest to hit Chicagoland Newspaper article from: Naperville Sun, The (IL); 8/7/2008; ; 700+ words ; On the surface, the Rockstar Mayhem Festival and the Vans Warped Tour would...emo to ska and all points between. The Mayhem Festival, which is making its inaugural...went so far as to say the success of the Mayhem Festival will hinge on whether it can...
	Multimedia 2000 Announces Free Demo of Mystic Mayhem; Free Download Available of Mystic Mayhem, The First Online Strategy Combat Game Written 100% in the Java Programming Language. Business Wire; 10/16/1998; 616 words ; ...Multimedia 2000 Inc. today announced that it has posted a free demo of Mystic Mayhem, the first Java game on the market from Mayhem Games, on its website. Mystic Mayhem is a multiplayer online strategy game of magical combat. To download the free...
	PCA brings Mayhem to Portland Newspaper article from: Sun-Journal Lewiston, Me.; 11/14/2007; 562 words ; PORTLAND, Me. - The Mayhem Poets, three spoken-word artists...presented by PCA Great Performances. The Mayhem Poets are Kyle Sutton, Scott Tarazevits...s Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Mayhem Poets will source Longfellow's poetry...
	ARTICLE: Lesson Seven: mayhem-II. Newspaper article from: The Nation (Karachi, Pakistan); 3/7/2009; 700+ words ; ...alcohol purchases that was told after Mayhem I in Mumbai, the terrorists eluding the...in Bollywood, was a box office hit. Mayhem II, made in Lollywood, threatens to be a flop. Why? In Mayhem I the terrorists kept the Indian commandos...
	PENDING MAYHEM Newspaper article from: Santa Fe Reporter; 10/4/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...founder of the local not-for-profit High Mayhem. Tell me about its origin. MF: High Mayhem began in 2001 as a single electro-acoustic...and vision-a synesthesia called the High Mayhem Emerging Arts Festival. Struggle is easy...
	Terlato Adds Mischief and Mayhem to Luxury Portfolio. PR Newswire; 4/15/2008; 700+ words ; ...marketing agreement with Mischief and Mayhem, adding the iconoclastic Burgundy producer...leading luxury portfolio. Mischief and Mayhem is a partnership between Burgundy-based...generation of wine lovers. "Mischief and Mayhem has broken new ground with visionary marketing...