| 释义 |
cat·a·clysm
\ˈkad.əˌklizəm, -atə-\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, from Greek kataklysmos, from kataklyzein to inundate, from kata- cata- + klyzein to wash — more at clyster
1. : a surging flood of water : deluge
2. : a violent geologic change involving sudden and extensive alterations of the earth's surface : catastrophe
3. : a momentous and violent event or series of events marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition (as of a political or social order)
< if all future world organization were rent asunder and if new cataclysms … destroyed all that is left — Sir Winston Churchill >
Synonyms: see disaster |