catastrophe
Pronunciation: /kəˈtæstɹəfi/
The English word “catastrophe” has 4 meanings listed here.
noun
- Any large and disastrous event of great significance.
- A disaster beyond expectations.
- The dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot; the dénouement.
- A type of bifurcation, where a system shifts between two stable states.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek καταστροφή (katastrophḗ), from καταστρέφω (katastréphō, “to overturn”), from κατά (katá, “down, against”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).
Keep exploring: in the interactive dictionary every word of a definition is a link. Open “catastrophe” there
More English words
- catasterism
- catasterismus
- catasterize
- catastrophal
- catastrophe bond
- catastrophe theory
- catastrophic
- catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome
About this dictionary
The English dictionary on Glottosphere has 650,529 entries with a page. Browse the English dictionary.
Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.