Pandemonium!

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An Order to the Chaos

• Definitions
• A Hellish History
• Anatomy of the Word
• Mechanical Use
• Modern Usage
• Personal Usage
Definitions

Noun
A situation in which there is a lot of noise
and confusion because people are excited,
angry, or frightened; noisy confusion or
wild excitement.
Noun
(Capitalized) The place of punishment for
the wicked after death.
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

(Oxford Dictionary) Synonyms

Synonyms Hell, underworld

Chaos, bedlam, commotion

Pandaemonium.
A Hellish History
Pandemonium has an incredibly easy origin to trace, as the term was coined in 1667 by
John Milton in his classic work “Paradise Lost”. As originally written, pandemonium
was not yet utilized as a word to describe a state of being, but rather was a fictional
place that Milton had invented. (Etymology Online) Pandaemonium, as it was originally
spelled, was the capitol of Hell in “Paradise Lost”. We see the origins of the chaotic
word pandemonium would become in its original connection to demons, Satan and his
peers. One of the earliest uses of pandemonium in the definition we use today was in the
Cheltenham Chronicle in March of 1819 when used to describe a riot, describing “the
pandemonium of hatred” that was let loose.
A Hellish History: Spellings
Pandemonium has two primary spellings in English, and the original spelling in Old
English. Pandemonium is the most common of these but alternatively Pandaemonium is
accepted-- especially when referring to John Milton’s original work.
The original spelling as uses the antiquated Pandæmonium, adding an “ash” character to
add an ae diphthong to the word. This character has been simplified into the “e” sound in
modern spellings, and this spelling is not typically accepted unless quoting Old English.
This shift occurred around the 19th century, such as in the 1827 work The Age Reviewed
which uses the “e” spelling when describing a traffic jam of stagecoaches.
“Mean while the winged Haralds by
command
Of Sovran power, with awful
Ceremony
And Trumpets sound throughout the
Host proclaim
A solemn Councel forthwith to be held
At Pandæmonium, the high Capitol
Of Satan and his Peers”

Paradise Lost 1.175-57

Anatomy of the Word: Pan-(De)mon-ium
• Pan-: from the Greek, meaning “all”. Chosen in coining the word to
describe how this was the place where all demons congregated.
• Demon: from the Greek daimōn, meaning a spirit or lesser deity. Given
negative connotations by its use in Christian translations from the Greek
to describe an “unclean spirit”.
• De-: Adapted from the Proto-Indo-European root Da-, meaning to divide.
This serves as the etymological root of demon, as the PIE dai-mon,
meaning divider.
• -ium: from the Latin neuter ending, typically used in the description of
elements but also sometimes reserved for descriptions of a location.
Anatomy of the Word: Pronunciation
• US: /ˌpæn.dəˈmoʊ.ni.əm/ (pan-duh-MOH-nee-uhm)

• UK: /ˌpæn.dəˈməʊ.ni.əm/ (pan-duh-MOH-nee-uhm)

Note that despite the same syllabic spelling, the UK pronunciation uses a
schwa diphthong where the US has an O diphthong.
(Audio from the Cambridge Dictionary Online)
Modern
Example
Image Description and Context: A Magic:
the Gathering Card depicting a violent
engagement between elves and goblins.
Red is the color of impulse and chaos in
Magic, and this card’s effect makes both
players deal damage to one another
repeatedly. Quite Dangerous!
Pandemonium is a noun typically used to
establish a situation as chaotic, and rarely a
proper noun used as a synonym for hell. It is
often seen used metaphorically to describe
another noun, such as “The grocery store was
pandemonium!”

There is are a few less common adjective

descendants of pandemonium, namely:
• Pandemonic
• Pandemonian
• Pandemonious
• Pamdemoniacal Mechanical Use:
Which allows for nouns to be described as chaos-
causing without metaphor.
Parts of Speech
“Life is random
and unfair!
Life is
pandemonium!
”
“Pandemonium” from The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee
Usage in English Books Over
Time (Source: Google Books)
Modern Usage:
Slang

Pandemonium is most often used to describe

trends as something of a “craze”. “Fandemonium”
serves as a great example of a portmanteau formed
with the word, specifically describing a state of
uproar caused by fans of something.
“Pandamonium” accomplishes the same goal with
panda bears, likely referring to just how popular
they are. Perhaps the new Kung Fu Panda 4 will
stir up a bit of Pandamonium when it releases!
Modern Usage:
Connotations

Pandemonium is typically perceived in one of

two ways. A descriptor of chaos leads the word
to be used in a negative sense when a situation is
in utter disarray, but the alternate fervorous
connotation and its relation to the analysis of
social trends also gives the word a hyperbolic
and but overall positive connotation, not unlike
adding –mania to a word to give an implication
of widespread reach.
Modern Usage: Sentences
“Baggage claim was pandemonium — luggage
strewn across the floor and carousels, a few
employees frantically trying to process new
claims.”
- Mary C. Meyer, STAT, 1 Aug. 2023
(Sentences provided by the Merriam-Webster
English Dictionary)
“Last season, reports of a shooting at
the fair that was eventually ruled a
false alarm caused pandemonium the
night of Oct. 14.”
- Isabella Volmert, Dallas News, 15
Aug. 2023
Personal Usage
My major usage of the word has come
from its appearance in the musical The
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
Because the word played a larger than
average role in my childhood from a
musical I was in, I now frequently use the
word to describe chaos.
Works Cited
Bibliography