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Chaos derives from the Greek Χαος and typically refers to unpredictability. In the metaphysical sense, it is the opposite of Law and Order: unrestrictive, both creative and destructive.

The word χαος did not mean "disorder" in classical-period Ancient Greece. It meant "the primal emptiness, Space". It is derived from the Indo-European root ghn or ghen meaning "gape, be wide open": compare "chasm" (from Greek), and Anglo-Saxon gānian (= "yawn"), geanian, ginian (= "gape wide"); see also Old Norse Ginnunga gap. Due to people misunderstanding early Christian uses of the word, the meaning of the word changed to "disorder". (The Ancient Greek for "disorder" is ταραχη.). Mathematically Chaos means an aperiodic deterministic behavior which are very sensitive to its initial conditions see Chaos theory.

An oft-made assumption is that the metaphysical Chaos is Evil and that Law is Good, however it should be noted these are different concepts, and it is quite possible for Chaos to be Good and Law be Evil. One example of this would be the story of Robin Hood, or the real-life world examples of oppressive governments and dictatorships being thrown off by freedom fighters.

Chaos is in the bible also used to refer to the earliest conditions of the universe, the unbounded space and formless matter that existed before the creation of the universe.

Science

• Chaos theory, a branch of mathematics and physics.
• In astronomy, Chaos is the name of trans-neptunian asteroid (19521) Chaos, which is of the cubewano type.
• In geology, a Chaos is an area of broken terrain, often in placenames on Mars.
• In biology, Chaos is a type of giant amoeba.
• XaoS, a GPL program for real-time zooming in on fractals.

Myth, Magic and Religion

• Chaos (also 'Khaos'), the primordial substance from which the universe sprang in Greek mythology.
• Chaos, a Chinese god.
• Chaos magic, a branch of Occultism.

Media

• Chaos: Making A New Science, a nonfiction book by James Gleick.
• k-os, pronounced like 'chaos', a Canadian musician.
• Chaos, a 2005 film
• Chaos, a character in some of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video games.
• Chaos, also called Kaos and Ronnie Soak, is the fifth horseman of the apocalypse in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel Thief of Time.
• In Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000, Chaos is an army representing the antithesis of civilisation.
• Chaos, a 1984 computer game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Atari ST.
• Chaos the cat, a character from the Canadian children's television show Sesame Park.
• Chaos, an enemy in Final Fantasy.
• In Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Chaos is the source of the confusion and evil power within Dracula's soul, and its manifestation is the final boss.
• chaos, a video game character in the game Xenosaga and Xenosaga II.
• Chaos, a major enemy in the Sailor Moon manga and the final enemy in the Sailor Moon anime
• Chaos , a villain in the LucasArts adventure game LOOM
• Chaos, A circular amusement park ride, made by Chance rides. It lifts to a vertical position, whilst spinning, and the pods get flipped seemingly randomly, going upside down many times. An example of one is at Cedar Point.
• Xaos MUD is a multiplayer RPI MUD.
• Chaos is a supreme god in the fantasy world of Dragonlance.
• CHAOS is a Linux distribution designed for ad hoc clustering.
• Chaos Is a controversial 2005 movie by David DeFalco
• Chaos is a 2006 movie.
• Chaos! Comics, a cult comic book producer and publisher.
• Chaos sorcerer is the name of a monster in Yu-gi-oh.

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