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