Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: French
Origin: cataclysme, from Latin, from Greek, from kataklyzein 'to flood', from kata- 'down' + klyzein 'to wash'

cataclysm

 noun
     
cat‧a‧clys‧m [countable]
literary a violent or sudden event or change, such as a serious flood or earthquake
—cataclysmic adjective
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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