Results for cataclysm
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Dictionary:

cataclysm

  (kăt'ə-klĭz'əm) pronunciation
n.
  1. A violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change.
  2. A violent and sudden change in the earth's crust.
  3. A devastating flood.

[French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, deluge, from Greek kataklusmos, from katakluzein, to inundate : kata-, intensive pref.; see cata– + kluzein, to wash away.]

cataclysmic cat'a·clys'mic (-klĭz'mĭk) or cat'a·clys'mal (-klĭz'məl) adj.
cataclysmically cat'a·clys'mi·cal·ly adv.
 
 
Thesaurus: cataclysm

noun

  1. An occurrence inflicting widespread destruction and distress: calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy. See help/harm/harmless.
  2. A momentous or sweeping change: convulsion, revolution, upheaval. See change/persist.
  3. An abundant, usually overwhelming flow or fall, as of a river or rain: alluvion, cataract, deluge, downpour, flood, freshet, inundation, Niagara, overflow, torrent. Chiefly British spate. See big/small/amount.

 
Antonyms: cataclysm

n

Definition: disaster
Antonyms: boon, good fortune, happiness, miracle, wonder


 
Word Tutor: cataclysm
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A violent natural or social event.

pronunciation Everyone thought the earthquake was a major cataclysm.

Tutor's tip: The "cataclysm" (major disaster or war) resulted in a "cataclasm" (disruption) of the "catechism" (instruction in Christian beliefs given in a question-and-answer format) classes.

 
Wikipedia: cataclysm


The cataclysm is the Greek expression for the Biblical Great Flood of Noah, from the Greek kataklysmos, to "waste down." Erudite Bible studies drew it into the English language in 1633 and it has also been used to describe other biblical events such as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah or The tenth plague of Egypt. The modern usage of cataclysm is mostly confined to geological phenomena of high significance such as the destruction of Pompeii, the Tunguska event, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake or the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collision with Jupiter.

As with many words of apocalyptic Biblical resonance, the adoption of cataclysm for features of manufactured pop culture in order to evoke an atmosphere of doom may provoke unintentional hilarity (compare Camp).

See also


 
Translations: Translations for: Cataclysm

Dansk (Danish)
n. - syndflod, jordskælv, kataklysme

Nederlands (Dutch)
cataclysme, grote ommekeer

Français (French)
n. - (Géog, fig) cataclysme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Naturkatastrophe, Umwälzung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κατακλυσμός

Italiano (Italian)
cataclisma

Português (Portuguese)
n. - cataclismo (m)

Русский (Russian)
катаклизм

Español (Spanish)
n. - cataclismo, terremoto

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - naturkatastrof, syndaflod, omstörtning (pol.)

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
大洪水, 大变动, 地震

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 大洪水, 大變動, 地震

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 대홍수, 지각변동, 격변

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 大洪水, 大変動, 地震, 大動乱

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كارثه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מהפך, שיטפון, רעידת-אדמה, שואה‬


 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cataclysm" Read more
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