havoc

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• /ˈhævək/
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• Australian: /ˈhævək/
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• Australian: /ˈhævɪk/
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• General-American: /ˈhævək/
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• General-American: /ˈhævɪk/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 V AH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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.

46 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: опустошение (opustošenie) — devastation
• Chinese Mandarin: 浩劫 (hàojié) — devastation
• Czech: spoušť — devastation
• Czech: zpustošení — devastation
• Czech: paseka — devastation
• Czech: zničení — devastation
• Czech: boží dopuštění — devastation
• Dutch: verwoesting — devastation
• Finnish: hävitys — devastation
• Finnish: tuho — devastation
• Finnish: vahinko — devastation
• French: chaos — devastation
• French: dévastation — devastation
• French: bazar — devastation
• German: Zerstörung — devastation
• German: Verwüstung — devastation
• Hindi: नाश (nāś) — devastation
• Irish: eirleach — devastation
• Irish: slad — devastation
• Italian: rovina — devastation
• Italian: distruzione — devastation
• Italian: strage — devastation
• Māori: aneatanga — devastation
• Polish: spustoszenie — devastation
• Portuguese: destruição — devastation
• Portuguese: devastação — devastation
• Portuguese: ruína — devastation
• Russian: опустоше́ние (opustošénije) — devastation
• Russian: разруше́ние (razrušénije) — devastation
• Spanish: destrucción — devastation
• Spanish: devastación — devastation
• Spanish: ruina — devastation
• Bulgarian: безпорядък (bezporjadǎk) — mayhem
• Czech: chaos — mayhem
• Czech: zmatek — mayhem
• Czech: nepořádek — mayhem
• Finnish: kaaos — mayhem
• Finnish: sekasorto — mayhem
• French: chaos — mayhem
• German: Chaos — mayhem
• German: Durcheinander — mayhem
• Māori: aneatanga — mayhem
• Russian: беспоря́док (besporjádok) — mayhem
• Russian: ха́ос (xáos) — mayhem
• Russian: хао́с (xaós) — mayhem
• Bulgarian: опустошавам (opustošavam) — To cause havoc