Chaos ( /ˈkeɪ.ɒs/;
Greek: χάος ) in Greek mythology
and cosmology referred
to a gap or abyss at the beginning of the world, or
more generally the initial, formless state of the universe
(the antithetical, or possibly complementary, concept was cosmos).
Later uses of the term by philosophers
varied over time. In modern English, the word is used in classical studies with the
original meaning; in
and science to refer to a very specific kind of
unpredictability; and informally to mean a state of confusion.
and in popular culture, the word
can occur with all three meanings.