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Where does the word "chaos" come from? It comes from Greek khaos, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
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Where does the word "chaos" come from? It comes from Greek khaos, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).
Chaos’s story begins in Greek: khaos meant “a formless void.” The formless void that existed before the ordered universe. It reached English by 1400s as chaos. Broadened from the primordial void to any state of utter disorder. Today, chaos means complete disorder and confusion.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient khaos "a formless void", the formless void that existed before the ordered universe.
- Stage 2 · English · 1400s chaos "a state of complete disorder and confusion", broadened from the primordial void to any state of utter disorder.