havoc
/ˈhævək/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.50 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To pillage.
verb
To cause havoc.
intj
A cry in war as the signal for indiscriminate slaughter.
Example Sentences
- "I [Paul the Apostle] vvas going to Damaſcus vvith Letters from the High Prieſt to make Havock of God's People there, as I had made Havock of them in other places. Theſe bloody Letters vvas not impoſed upon me. I vvent to the High Prieſt and deſired them of him, Acts 9. 1, 2. And yet he [God] ſaved me!"
- "Ye Gods, what Havock does Ambition make / Among your Works!"
- "But when I had come to that part of the city which I judged to have contained the relics I sought I found havoc that had been wrought there even greater than elsewhere."
- "To tear and havoc more than she can eat."
- "Do not cry havoc, where you should but hunt / With modest warrant."
- "Cry "havoc", and let slip the dogs of war!"
Etymology
From Middle English havok, havyk, from Old French havok in the phrase crier havok (“cry havoc”) a signal to soldiers to seize plunder, from Old French crier (“cry out, shout”) + havot (“pillaging, looting”), of obscure origin. Probably from a derivative of Old French *haf, hef (“hook”), from Frankish *haf, *habbjā, *happjā (“pruning-hook, scythe”), derived from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to take up, lift”), related to Old French havee (“handful”), Old French havet (“pruning-hook”), Old High German habba, heppa (“pruning-hook, scythe”), modern German Hippe (“billhook”). If so, then also related to English heave and doublet of hatchet.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈhævək/