| 单词 | catastrophe |
| 释义 | catastrophe —catastrophic /kat'euh strof"ik/, catastrophical, catastrophal, adj. —catastrophically, adv. /keuh tas"treuh fee/, n. 1. a sudden and widespread disaster: the catastrophe of war. 2. any misfortune, mishap, or failure; fiasco: The play was so poor our whole evening was a catastrophe. 3. a final event or conclusion, usually an unfortunate one; a disastrous end: the great catastrophe of the Old South at Appomattox. 4. (in a drama) the point at which the circumstances overcome the central motive, introducing the close or conclusion; dénouement. Cf. catastasis, epitasis, protasis. 5. Geol. a sudden, violent disturbance, esp. of a part of the surface of the earth; cataclysm. 6. Also called catastrophe function. Math. any of the mathematical functions that describe the discontinuities that are treated in catastrophe theory. [1570-80; < Gk katastrophé an overturning, akin to katastréphein to overturn. See CATA-, STROPHE] Syn. 1. misfortune, calamity. 1, 3. See disaster. Ant. 1, 3. triumph. |
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