Adjacent Words

Maim definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MAIM, v.t.
1. To deprive of the use of a limb, so as to render a person less able to defend himself in fighting, or to annoy his adversary.
2. To deprive of a necessary part; to cripple; to disable.
You maim'd the jurisdiction of all bishops.
MAIM, n. [written in law-language, mayhem.]
1. The privation of the use of a limb or member of the body, so as to render the sufferer less able to defend himself or to annoy his adversary.
2. The privation of any necessary part; a crippling.
Surely there is more cause to fear lest the want thereof be a maim, than the use of it a blemish.
3. Injury; mischief.
4. Essential defect.
A noble author esteems it to be a maim in history. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation; "people were maimed by the explosion"

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English maymen, mahaymen, from Anglo-French maheimer, mahaigner — more at mayhem Date: 14th century 1. to commit the felony of mayhem upon 2. to mutilate, disfigure, or wound seriously • maimer noun Synonyms: maim, cripple, mutilate, batter, mangle mean to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage. maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence <maimed by a shark>. cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg <crippled for life in an accident>. mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function <a tree mutilated by inept pruning>. batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate <an old ship battered by fierce storms>. mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds <a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel>. II. noun Date: 14th century 1. obsolete serious physical injury; especially loss of a member of the body 2. obsolete a serious loss

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 cripple, disable, mutilate. 2 harm, impair (emotionally maimed by neglect). Etymology: ME maime etc. f. OF mahaignier etc., of unkn. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Maim Maim, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Maimed;p. pr. & vb. n. Maiming.] [OE. maimen, OF. mahaignier, mehaignier, meshaignier, cf. It. magagnare, LL. mahemiare, mahennare; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Armor. mac'ha?a to mutilate, m[=a]c'ha to crowd, press; or cf. OHG. mang?n to lack, perh. akin to E. mangle to lacerate. Cf. Mayhem.] 1. To deprive of the use of a limb, so as to render a person on fighting less able either to defend himself or to annoy his adversary. By the ancient law of England he that maimed any man whereby he lost any part of his body, was sentenced to lose the like part. --Blackstone. 2. To mutilate; to cripple; to injure; to disable; to impair. My late maimed limbs lack wonted might. --Spenser. You maimed the jurisdiction of all bishops. --Shak. Syn: To mutilate; mangle; cripple.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Maim Maim, n. [Written in law language maihem, and mayhem.] [OF. mehaing. See Maim, v.] 1. The privation of the use of a limb or member of the body, by which one is rendered less able to defend himself or to annoy his adversary. 2. The privation of any necessary part; a crippling; mutilation; injury; deprivation of something essential. See Mayhem. Surely there is more cause to fear lest the want there of be a maim than the use of it a blemish. --Hooker. A noble author esteems it to be a maim in history that the acts of Parliament should not be recited. --Hayward.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(maims, maiming, maimed) To maim someone means to injure them so badly that part of their body is permanently damaged. Mines have been scattered in rice paddies and jungles, maiming and killing civilians... VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Cripple, mutilate, disable, obtruncate, mangle, mar. II. n. 1. [Written also Maihem and Mayhem.] Crippling, mutilation, disfigurement. 2. Injury, mischief, harm, hurt.

Moby Thesaurus

abrade, bark, batter, blemish, bloody, break, bugger, bung up, burn, castrate, chafe, check, chip, claw, crack, craze, cripple, cut, damage, de-energize, debilitate, defoliate, denude, disable, disenable, disfigure, dismember, drain, draw and quarter, emasculate, enfeeble, flay, fracture, fray, frazzle, fret, gall, gash, hamstring, harm, hobble, hors de combat, hurt, impair, inactivate, incapacitate, incise, injure, kibosh, lacerate, lame, make mincemeat of, mangle, massacre, maul, mayhem, mutilate, peel, pick to pieces, pierce, pull apart, puncture, put, queer, queer the works, rend, rip, run, rupture, sabotage, savage, scald, scorch, scotch, scrape, scratch, scuff, shred, skin, slash, slit, spike, sprain, stab, stick, strain, strip, take apart, tear, tear apart, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, traumatize, unfit, weaken, wing, wound, wreck, wrench