Cha|os

cha|os «KAY os», noun.

1. a) very great confusion; complete disorder: »

The tornado left the town in chaos.

b) a confused mass or mixture.

2. Also, Chaos. the infinite space in which formless matter was thought to have existed before the ordered universe came into existence.

3. Mathematics, Physics. random behavior generated within any deterministic system: »

The determinism inherent in chaos implies that many random phenomena are more predictable than has been thought.…Chaos allows order to be found in such diverse systems as the atmosphere, dripping faucets and the heart (Scientific American).

4. Obsolete. a gaping void; yawning gulf, chasm, or abyss (chiefly from the Vulgate rendering of Luke 16:26).

╂[< Latin chaos < Greek cháos]

Cha|os «KAI os», noun.

the most ancient of Greek gods, personifying the formless, confused state of matter before the universe existed: »

the reign of Chaos and old Night (Milton).