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”
catastrophe, cataclysm
(noun) a sudden violent change in the earth’s surface
catastrophe, disaster
(noun) a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune; “lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system”; “his policies were a disaster”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
catastrophe (plural catastrophes)
any large and disastrous event of great significance
(insurance) a disaster beyond expectations
(narratology) the dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot; the dénouement
(mathematics) a type of bifurcation, where a system shifts between two stable states
Source: Wiktionary
Ca*tas"tro*phe, n. Etym: [L. catastropha, Gr.
1. An event producing a subversion of the order or system of things; a final event, usually of a calamitous or disastrous nature; hence, sudden calamity; great misfortune. The strange catastrophe of affairs now at London. Bp. Buret. The most horrible and portentous catastrophe that nature ever yet saw. Woodward.
2. The final event in a romance or a dramatic piece; a denouement, as a death in a tragedy, or a marriage in a comedy.
3. (Geol.)
Definition: A violent and widely extended change in the surface of the earth, as, an elevation or subsidence of some part of it, effected by internal causes. Whewell.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
29 September 2024
(noun) the technical aspects of doing something; “a mechanism of social control”; “mechanisms of communication”; “the mechanics of prose style”
The world’s most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet – a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.
