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  1. bedlam love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion.
  2. n. Archaic An insane asylum.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. [capitalized] The hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem in London, originally a priory, founded about 1247, but afterward used as an asylum for lunatics.
  2. n. Hence A madhouse; a lunatic asylum.
  3. n. A scene of wild uproar and confusion.
  4. n. An inmate or a patient of Bethlehem Hospital, or Bedlam; specifically, one discharged as cured (though often only partially cured) and licensed to beg. Such persons wore a tin plate as a badge on their left arm, and were known as bedlam beggars, bedlamites, or bedlamers.
  5. n. Hence In general, a madman; a lunatic.
  6. Belonging to or fit for a bedlam or madhouse; mad; mentally deranged.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A place or situation of chaotic uproar, and where confusion prevails.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse.
  2. n. obsolete An insane person; a lunatic; a madman.
  3. n. Any place where uproar and confusion prevail.
  4. adj. Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a state of extreme confusion and disorder
  2. n. pejorative terms for an insane asylum

Etymologies

  1. From Bedlam, alternative name of the English lunatic asylum, Bethlem Royal Hospital (royal hospital from 1375, mental hospital from 1403) (earlier St Mary of Bethlehem outside Bishopsgate, hospice in existence from 1329, priory established 1247), sense used to mean “a place or situation of madness and chaos”. Bedlam as name of hospital attested 1450. (Wiktionary)
  2. Middle English Bedlem, Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem, an institution in London for the mentally ill. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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synonyms (4)

Words with the same meaning

  1. madhouse
  1. lunatic
  1. madman
  1. asylum

hypernyms (7)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. mental institution
  1. asylum
  1. mental home
  1. insane asylum
  1. psychiatric hospital
  1. institution
  1. mental hospital

same context (15)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. madhouse
  2. babel
  3. pandemonium
  1. whomp
  2. godsend
  3. cacophony
  1. Bethlehem
  2. fusillade
  3. disorganization
  1. clamor
  2. ovation
  3. pleasure-ground
  1. inefficacy
  2. treasure-house
  3. epiphany

reverse dictionary (6)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. bedlamer
  1. bedlamite
  1. Bethlehem
  1. bethlehemite
  1. madhouse
  1. bedlam

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Comments

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  • dmcleod0914 "In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more then one person shouting my name."- Twilight, Stephanie Meyer, pg. 57 Oct 27, 2010

  • uselessness This word has always reminded me of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Jun 27, 2007

  • slumry My fifth grade teacher said to the class "It's bedlam in here." I could not have been more shocked. I thought Mrs. Wolf had said a Bad Word. Perhaps like (gasp) h-e-l-l. Jun 27, 2007

  • reesetee Patiomensch, I remember that I started liking this word when I learned its history. Fascinating. :-) Apr 13, 2007

  • patiomensch Interesting (from Google's def):

    "The Bethlem Royal Hospital of London, which has been variously known as Bethlem Hospital, Bethlehem Hospital and Bedlam, is the world's oldest psychiatric hospital. Bethlehem was shortened to Bedleem and Bedlem in Middle English. The hospital was nicknamed Bedlam from early on. From the early 16th century, bedlam also came to mean `mad'. Shakespeare, in Henry 6th, speaks of "the bedlam brain-sick duchess" (1590s?). This use lasted to the early 18th century, but the late 16th century was already using bedlamite." Apr 13, 2007

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‘bedlam’ has been looked up 3770 times, loved by 10 people, added to 87 lists, commented on 5 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.