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cataclysm

Pronunciation: /ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/

The English word “cataclysm” has 3 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A sudden, violent event.
  2. A sudden and violent change in the earth's crust.
  3. A great flood.

Etymology

From French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmus, from Ancient Greek κατακλυσμός (kataklusmós, “deluge, flood”), from κατακλύζω (kataklúzō, “to dash over, flood, deluge, inundate”), from κατά (katá, “downwards, towards”) + κλύζω (klúzō, “to wash off, to wash away, to dash over”).

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