CALAMITY
calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy, cataclysm
(noun) an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; “the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity”; “the earthquake was a disaster”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
calamity (plural calamities)
An event resulting in great loss.
The distress that results from some disaster.
Synonyms
• nakba
• See also disaster
Source: Wiktionary
Ca*lam"i*ty n.; pl. Calamities. Etym: [L. calamitas, akin to in-
columis unharmed: cf. F. calamité]
1. Any great misfortune or cause of misery; -- generally applied to
events or disasters which produce extensive evil, either to
communities or individuals.
Note: The word calamity was first derived from calamus when the corn
could not get out of the stalk. Bacon.
Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul. W. Irving.
2. A state or time of distress or misfortune; misery.
The deliberations of calamity are rarely wise. Burke.
Where'er I came I brought calamity. Tennyson.
Syn.
– Disaster; distress; afflicition; adversity; misfortune;
unhappiness; infelicity; mishap; mischance; misery; evil; extremity;
exigency; downfall.
– Calamity, Disaster, Misfortune, Mishap, Mischance. Of these
words, calamity is the strongest. It supposes a somewhat continuous
state, produced not usually by the direct agency of man, but by
natural causes, such as fire, flood, tempest, disease, etc, Disaster
denotes literally ill-starred, and is some unforeseen and distressing
event which comes suddenly upon us, as if from hostile planet.
Misfortune is often due to no specific cause; it is simply the bad
fortune of an individual; a link in the chain of events; an evil
independent of his own conduct, and not to be charged as a fault.
Mischance and mishap are misfortunes of a trivial nature, occurring
usually to individuals. "A calamity is either public or private, but
more frequently the former; a disaster is rather particular than
private; it affects things rather than persons; journey, expedition,
and military movements are often attended with disasters; misfortunes
are usually personal; they immediately affect the interests of the
individual." Crabb.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition