Maelstrom meaning: What is the meaning of Maelstrom?
The word “maelstrom” is derived from an early Dutch proper noun that combines the verb “to grind” (malen) with the noun “stroom” (“stream”). The original Maelstrom, now known as the Moskstraumen, is a channel off the northwest coast of Norway that has dangerous tidal currents. Authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne (whose works…
The word “maelstrom” is derived from an early Dutch proper noun that combines the verb “to grind” (malen) with the noun “stroom” (“stream”).
The original Maelstrom, now known as the Moskstraumen, is a channel off the northwest coast of Norway that has dangerous tidal currents.
Authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Jules Verne (whose works were widely translated from French) popularized the Maelstrom among English speakers in stories that exaggerated its tempestuousness and transformed it into a whirling vortex.
The word “maelstrom” first appeared in English in the sixteenth century, and it quickly came to mean any strong vortex.
By the middle of the 19th century, the term was being used metaphorically to describe things or circumstances that were similar to such maelstroms of turbulence or confusion.
Maelstrom meaning: What is the meaning of Maelstrom?
A maelstrom is a strong, frequently violent whirlpool that engulfs everything in its radius.
Recent instances on the internet. With the Dow dropping more than 250 points in afternoon trade, Wall Street’s negative attitude continued into a second day on Friday amid the maelstrom of concerns surrounding Russia and Ukraine.
Washington Post, February 18, 2022
