I. ˈmām transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English maynen, maymen, maynhen, mayhaymen, from Old French mahaignier, maynier, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German meidem, meiden gelding, Gothic gamaidans, accusative plural, crippled — more at mad
1. : to commit the felony of mayhem upon
2. : to wound seriously : mutilate , disable , disfigure
he was a puritan, maimed by the narrow orthodoxy of his childhood — Douglas Stewart
Synonyms:
maim , cripple , mutilate , batter , mangle apply, in common, to an injuring (of a body or an object) so severe as to leave permanent or lasting effects. maim implies the loss or destruction of the usefulness of a limb or member
an arm hanging useless, maimed in a car accident
cripple usually implies the loss of an arm or leg or the serious impairment of its use but can apply to any injury seriously impairing normal mobility or functioning
a boy crippled by the loss of a leg
hands crippled by arthritis
a battleship, crippled by cruisers the night before, lay smoking and floundering within sight — Ira Wolfert
mutilate implies the cutting, especially cutting off, or the removal of a part essential to completeness and lessening the perfection, beauty, or pleasing wholeness of the thing
looking exactly like a company of dolls a cruel child had mutilated, snapping a foot off here, tearing out a leg here, and battering the face of a third — Richard Jefferies
never mutilate a book by tearing out pages or removing illustrations — L.R.McColvin
batter and mangle do not suggest loss, as of a limb, but rather an injuring which disfigures, usually excessively, batter implying a pounding or harsh beating, mangle implying a tearing, twisting, or hacking
a procession of battered automobiles — Oscar Handlin
to bring up cannon and batter the forts into surrender — P.G.Mackesy
people who have disregarded the warnings and been mangled by sharks — V.G.Heiser
a smashed truck and mangled driver — G.R.Stewart
his face and head were frightfully mangled with long cuts, evidently made by an axe — A.F.Harlow
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English maheym, mayme, mayne, from Middle French mahaing, mahaim, from Old French, from mahaignier, v.
1. obsolete : the loss of a limb or member of the body or of the use of it : serious physical injury
the beggars … look upon their maims as … purses, which will always give them money — J.R.Lowell
2. obsolete : a serious defect or mutilation : a major lack
III. ˈmām adjective
archaic : maimed