The definition of a maelstrom is a violent, turbulent situation, or a very powerful whirlpool.
(noun)An example of a maelstrom was the uprising in Egypt against the former leader, Hosni Mubarak.
See Maelstrom in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
Origin: 17th-c. Du (now maalstroom) < malen, to grind, whirl round (akin to Ger mahlen: see mill) + stroom, a stream: first applied by 16th-c. Du geographers
See Maelstrom in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Origin:
Origin: Obsolete Dutch
Origin: : Dutch malen, to grind, whirl (from Middle Dutch; see melə- in Indo-European roots)
Origin: + Dutch stroom, stream (from Middle Dutch; see sreu- in Indo-European roots)
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