# maelstrom

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmeɪlˌstɹəm/ · frequency rank #42,253

## Definitions
1. A large and violent whirlpool.
2. A chaotic or turbulent situation.

## Etymology
The word was originally the name of a giant whirlpool off Norway in the Arctic Ocean which was said to destroy all ships that came close to it, likely the actual tidal pool system of Moskstraumen in Lofoten.
It is borrowed from early modern Dutch maelstrom (“whirlpool”) (obsolete) (modern Dutch maalstroom), from malen (“to whirl around; to grind”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”)) + stroom (“stream; river; current or flow of water or other liquid”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow, stream”)), and was popularized by Edgar Allen Poe’s short story A Descent into the Maelström (1841).
Cognates
* Danish malstrøm
* German Mahlstrom
* Swedish malström

## Easily confused with
- **maestro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maelstrom-vs-maestro)

## Common misspellings (14)
`amelstrom`, `maellstrom`, `maelsrtom`, `maelsstrom`, `maelstorm`, `maelstrmo`, `maelstromm`, `maelstrrom`, `maelsttrom`, `maeltsrom`, `maesltrom`, `malestrom`, `mealstrom`, `mmaelstrom`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/maelstrom