/
ˈkeɪɒs/
n.
- complete disorder and confusion.
▸Physics the property of a complex system whose behaviour is so unpredictable as to appear random, owing to great sensitivity to small changes in conditions.
- the formless matter supposed to have existed before the creation of the universe.
Etymology
C15 (denoting a gaping void): via Fr. and L. from Gk khaos ‘vast chasm, void’.