WordofTheDay.US

Added 9 October 2026

catastrophe

/kəˈtæstɹəfi/ noun

Categories: ActionsDescribing WordsUncommon Words

In Latin: calamitās, catastropha Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about catastrophe at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. An event resulting in great loss and misfortune.
    the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity
  2. A state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune.
    lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system
  3. A sudden violent change in the earth's surface.

Origin

From Ancient Greek καταστροφή (katastrophḗ), from καταστρέφω (katastréphō, “to overturn”), from κατά (katá, “down, against”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: disastercataclysmcalamitytragedydevastationhavocdestructionsetbackdamageruinwreckscourge

Back to today's word