maim

English

Etymology

From Middle English maymen, mahaymen, from Anglo-Norman maheimer, mahaigner, of Germanic origin; see mayhem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meɪm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪm

Verb

maim (third-person singular simple present maims, present participle maiming, simple past and past participle maimed)

1. To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body.

   Synonym: mutilate

   He was maimed by a bear.

   • 1914 November, Louis Joseph Vance, “An Outsider […]”, in Munsey’s Magazine, volume LIII, number II, New York, N.Y.: The Frank A[ndrew] Munsey Company, […], published 1915, →OCLC, chapter I (Anarchy), pages 377–378:

     Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with (by way of local color) on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs.

Derived terms

• maimee
• maimer

Related terms

• mayhem

Translations

to cause permanent loss of a part of the body

Arabic: شَوِهَ (šawiha), بَتَرَ (ar) (batara) Armenian: հաշմանդամ դարձնել (hašmandam darjnel), հաշմել (hy) (hašmel), խեղել (hy) (xeġel) Belarusian: няве́чыць impf (njavjéčycʹ), зняве́чыць pf (znjavjéčycʹ), кале́чыць impf (kaljéčycʹ), скале́чыць pf (skaljéčycʹ), пакале́чыць pf (pakaljéčycʹ) Bulgarian: осакатя́вам (bg) impf (osakatjávam), осакате́я pf (osakatéja) Catalan: mutilar (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 殘害 / 残害 (zh) (cánhài), 致殘 / 致残 (zh) (zhìcán) Czech: zmrzačit pf, zohavit pf Danish: lemlæste Dutch: verminken (nl) Finnish: vammauttaa (fi), silpoa, runnella (fi) French: mutiler (fr), estropier (fr) Galician: mutilar (gl), fanar, toller (gl), eivar (gl) Georgian: დასახიჩრება (dasaxičreba) German: verstümmeln (de), verschandeln (de) Greek: Ancient: πηρόω (pēróō) Hungarian: csonkít (hu) Icelandic: limlesta (is) Italian: menomare (it), mutilare (it) Japanese: 不具にする (ふぐにする, fugu ni suru) Korean: 불구로 만들다 (bulgu-ro mandeulda) Latin: dēbilitō, mutilō, truncō Macedonian: осакатува impf (osakatuva), осакати pf (osakati) Maori: whakatūroro, whakahauā Norwegian: lemleste Polish: okaleczać impf, okaleczyć (pl) pf Portuguese: mutilar (pt) Romanian: mutila (ro) Russian: уве́чить (ru) impf (uvéčitʹ), изуве́чить (ru) pf (izuvéčitʹ), кале́чить (ru) impf (kaléčitʹ), покале́чить (ru) pf (pokaléčitʹ), искале́чить (ru) pf (iskaléčitʹ), уро́довать (ru) impf (uródovatʹ), изуро́довать (ru) pf (izuródovatʹ) Sicilian: acciuncari (scn), mutilari, truncari, tagghiari (scn) Spanish: mutilar (es) Swedish: lemlästa (sv), stympa (sv) Ukrainian: ні́вечити impf (nívečyty), зні́вечити pf (znívečyty), калі́чити impf (kalíčyty), покалі́чити pf (pokalíčyty)

Noun

maim (plural maims)

1. (obsolete) A severe, serious wound.
   • 1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 1:

     it ſequeſtred me from the woonted meanes of my maintenance, which is as great a maime to any mans happineſſe as can bee feared from the hands of miſerie, or the deepe pit of diſpaire wherinto I was falne, beyond my greateſt friendes reach to recouer mee

Anagrams

• I'mma, Imam, Imma, Mami, imam, imma, mami

Middle English

Noun

maim

1. alternative form of maym

Tocharian B

Etymology

From Proto-Tocharian *meim, a nominal derivative of *mei- (“to measure”). Possibly linked to Proto-Indo-European *mod-ye/o- or *mēdye/o-, derivatives of *med- (“to measure, give advice, heal”) (whence Latin meditor and Old Irish midithir), or alternatively to *meh₁-ye/o- from *meh₁- (“to measure”) (whence Latin mētior). Compare Tocharian A mem.

Noun

maim m

1. thought, thinking

   Enenkaś paspārtau cwi maim palskw attsaik.

   Completely turned inward [is] his thought and spirit.