English
pandemonium
Pandemonium comes from Ancient Greek πᾶς ‘all’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπᾶςpânas πᾶν‘all’
- Englishearliest quotation 1908pandemonium
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπᾶςpânas πᾶν‘all’
- Englishearliest quotation 1908pandemonium
Earliest quotation: 1908, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare: “Whatever all this pandemonium means, I suppose the police…”
The story
Coined by John Milton in Paradise Lost as Pandæmonium, from Ancient Greek πᾶν (pân, “all”) (equivalent to pan-) + Late Latin daemonium (‘evil spirit, demon’), from Ancient Greek δαιμόνιον (daimónion, “deity”).
Linked words
through Ancient Greek πᾶς ‘all’
Today it means
noun A loud, wild, tumultuous protest, disorder, or chaotic situation, usually of a crowd, often violent.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek πᾶς / pandemonium