catastrophe

1 an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster" [syn: calamity, disaster, tragedy, cataclysm]

2 a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune; "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system"; "his policies were a disaster" [syn: disaster]

3 a sudden violent change in the earth's surface [syn: cataclysm]

English

Etymology

From the καταστροφή, derived from the verb καταστρέφω, "to overturn", from κατά "down" + στρέφω "turn".

Noun

1. Any large and disastrous event of great significance.
2. In the context of "insurance}} A disaster beyond expectations

Catastrophe, from the Greek Καταστροφή (katastrephein), literally means "to turn" (strephein) "downwards" (kata-). It may refer to:

• A disaster, a horrible event
• Catastrophe (drama), the climax and resolution of a plot in ancient Greek drama and poems
• Catastrophe (play), a 1982 short play by Samuel Beckett
• Catastrophe modeling, the projecting of the cost of losses due to a catastrophic event in insurance
• Catastrophe theory, a field of mathematics that studies how the behaviour of dynamic systems can change drastically with small variations in specific parameters
• Catastrophe bond, a risk-linked security used to share risks with bond investors
• Catastrophe: A Quest for the Origins of the Modern World, a book by David Keys about the Climate changes of 535-536
• The Catastrophe, a translation of al-Nakba (Arabic: النكبة), referring to the 1948 Palestinian exodus

Catastrophic may refer to:

• Catastrophic, a difficulty rating in Dance Dance Revolution

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