Nearby Words

turmoil

[tur-moil] Origin

tur·moil

[tur-moil]
noun
1.
a state of great commotion, confusion, or disturbance; tumult; agitation; disquiet: mental turmoil caused by difficult decisions.
2.
Obsolete. harassing labor.

Origin:
1505–15; orig. as v.: to agitate; etymology uncertain; perhaps tur(n) + moil


1. turbulence, disorder, uproar. See agitation.


1. order, quiet.

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Turmoil is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
Collins
World English Dictionary
turmoil (ˈtɜːmɔɪl)
 
n
1.  violent or confused movement; agitation; tumult
 
vb
2.  archaic to make or become turbulent
 
[C16: perhaps from turn + moil]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

turmoil
1526, perhaps an alteration of M.Fr. tremouille "mill hopper," in reference to the hopper's constant motion to and fro, from L. trimodia "vessel containing three modii," from modius, a Roman dry measure, related to modus "measure." Attested earlier in Eng. as a verb (c.1511), though this now is obsolete.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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