cataclysm
NounUS[kat-uh-klis-uhm]/ˈkætəˌklɪsəm/4 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (2)
- a sudden violent change in the earth's surfaceSynonyms: catastropheType of geological phenomenonKinds nuclear winter
- an event resulting in great loss and misfortune“the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity”“the earthquake was a disaster”Synonyms: calamitycatastrophedisastertragedyType of misfortune, bad luckKinds tsunami, act of God, meltdown, famine, apocalypse, plague, tidal wave, kiss of death, visitation
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Cat′a·clysm noun
Origin: L. cataclysmos, Gr. κατακλυσμός, from … to dash over, inundate; κατά downward, against + … to wash or dash over: cf. F. cataclysme.
1. An extensive overflow or sweeping flood of water; a deluge.
2. Geology Any violent catastrophe, involving sudden and extensive changes of the earth's surface.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54