Maimed is an adjective describing someone or something severely injured or mutilated, often to the point of disabling part of the body or function. It can also describe damage that severely diminishes quality or effectiveness. The term carries connotations of permanent harm and is used in medical, legal, or descriptive contexts to emphasize serious loss or impairment.
US: /ˈmeɪmd/ with a slightly tighter /eɪ/ and crisp /d/. UK: /ˈmeɪmd/ often with non-rhoticity; ensure linking consonants are clear; AU: /ˈmeɪmd/ possible a bit broader vowel; focus on non-rhotic or rhotic tendencies as region dictates. In all, place tongue high for /eɪ/ diphthong, relax jaw, then seal with the /d/.
"The knight returned from battle maimed, missing an arm and scarred by burns."
"Legislation aimed to protect workers from maimed injuries in dangerous industries."
"The once-pristine lab was maimed by years of neglect and failed experiments."
"The boat suffered maimed rigging after the storm, making it barely seaworthy."
Maimed comes from the Middle French word maimer, meaning “to impair” or “to injure.” The root is the Latin maius, related to “maus” or “hurt.” In English, maim appeared in the 14th century with the sense of injuring someone so that they lose a limb or function. Over time, the term broadened to describe severe damage to anything that renders something imperfect or unusable, not just bodily harm. The word has carried legal and medical weight in historical texts, used to emphasize serious, permanent harm. Its usage intensified in literature and journalism during the 19th and 20th centuries, often in war reports or crime narratives to convey the gravity of injury. While “maim” can be a verb (to maim), “maimed” as an adjective highlights a state of injury rather than the act. The evolution reflects shifting norms around injury descriptions, with modern usage frequently seeking precise, sometimes clinical tones when describing damage or impairment.
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Words that rhyme with "Maimed"
-med sounds
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Pronounced /ˈmeɪmd/. The stress is on the first syllable: MAYMD. The vowel is the long A as in ‘made’; the m at the end is a bilabial nasal followed by a silent e-like ending. Tip: keep the final /md/ cluster tight—don’t release the m into an extra vowel. IPA: US/UK/AU share /ˈmeɪmd/ for this word.
Common mistakes include turning the final /md/ into an /məd/ or /meɪm/ without the final d; or delaying the /m/ after the /eɪ/ for a longer vowel. Another error is misplacing the stress, saying ‘maimed’ with secondary stress on the second syllable. Correction: keep the vowel tense and quick, end with a crisp /d/ after the /m/ to form /ˈmeɪmd/.
Across accents, the core /ˈmeɪmd/ remains, but rhoticity and vowel quality can tint it. US often keeps a slightly tighter /eɪ/ and a clear /d/; UK may have a marginally longer offglide before /d/; AU tends toward a slightly broader, more open /æɪ/ transition in some speakers, yet generally preserves the /ˈmeɪmd/ pattern.
The challenge is the tight /md/ coda: you must finish with a quick, precise /m/ followed by /d/. Some speakers insert a tiny schwa or extra vowel, becoming /ˈmeɪməkd/ unintentionally. Also, keeping the long /eɪ/ vowel without letting it drift into /eɪa/ or /eɪɪ/ is tricky. Focus on a clean consonant cluster closure at the end.
The crucial, unique aspect is the final /md/ cluster: the /m/ should end with lip closure and nasal resonance, immediately followed by a voiced alveolar /d/. There’s no weak vowel before /d/; avoid inserting a vowel between /m/ and /d/. Practically, think /ˈmeɪmd/ with a clipped, rapid ending so listeners hear a single, firm final syllable.
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