Havock
/ˈhæv.ək/noun
Destruction, devastation, or widespread chaos.
Did you know?In medieval English warfare, to cry “havoc” was to give soldiers permission to plunder and slaughter after a battle, which is why the word still feels so violently unleashed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*habukaz
“hawk”
Old French
Old French
havot
“plundering or pillage”
Middle English
English
havok
“a military order to plunder after battle”
16th Century
English
havock
“widespread pillage and destruction”
Modern English
English
havoc
“great destruction or chaos”