maim Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation
    • people were maimed by the explosion

WordNet

Maim transitive verb
Etymology
OE. maimen, OF. mahaignier, mehaignier, meshaignier, cf. It. magagnare, LL. mahemiare, mahennare; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Armor. mac'haa to mutilate, mac'ha to crowd, press; or cf. OHG. mangn to lack, perh. akin to E. mangle to lacerate. Cf. Mayhem.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Maimed ;present participle & verbal noun Maiming
Definitions
  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.
Maim noun
Etymology
OF. mehaing. See Maim, v.
Definitions
  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.

Webster 1913