Wordnet 3.0
NOUN (1)
1.
a great sacrifice;
an ancient Greek or Roman sacrifice of 100 oxen;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Hecatomb \Hec"a*tomb\, n. [L. hecatombe, Gr. ?; ? hundred + ?
ox: cf. F. h['e]catombe.] (Antiq.)
A sacrifice of a hundred oxen or cattle at the same time;
hence, the sacrifice or slaughter of any large number of
victims.
[1913 Webster]
Slaughtered hecatombs around them bleed. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
More than a human hecatomb. --Byron.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
hecatomb
n 1: a great sacrifice; an ancient Greek or Roman sacrifice of
100 oxen