Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Origin: bedlam 'mental hospital' (17-18 centuries), from Bedlam 'Bethlehem' (10-17 centuries); from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem former London mental hospital

bedlam

 noun
     
bed‧lam [uncountable]
a situation where there is a lot of noise and confusion [= chaos]:
When the bomb exploded, there was bedlam.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary