Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1800-1900
Language: French
Origin: débâcle, from débâcler 'to remove a bar'

debacle

 noun
     
de‧ba‧cle , débâcle [countable]
an event or situation that is a complete failure:
the debacle of the 1994 elections
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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