HECATOMB


Meaning of HECATOMB in English

ˈhekəˌtōm sometimes -tüm or -täm noun

( -s )

Etymology: Latin hecatombe, from Greek hekatombē, from hekaton hundred + -bē (from stem of bous head of cattle, cow) — more at hundred , cow

1. : an ancient Greek and Roman sacrifice consisting typically of 100 oxen or cattle

2. : the sacrifice or slaughter of many victims

make ourselves unhappy over the yearly hecatomb that follows the wake of the motor — Agnes Repplier

3. : a large number or quantity

the end of the war saw no hecatombs of officers slain by enfranchised privates — Dixon Wecter

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.