/ ˈkætəklɪzəm; NAmE / noun
( formal ) a sudden disaster or a violent event that causes change, for example a flood or a war
► cata·clys·mic / ˌkætəˈklɪzmɪk; NAmE / adjective [ usually before noun ]
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (originally denoting the biblical Flood described in Genesis): from French cataclysme , via Latin from Greek kataklusmos deluge, from kata- down + kluzein to wash.