Main Entry: cat·a·clysm

Pronunciation: \ˈka-tə-ˌkli-zəm\

Function: noun

Etymology: French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, from Greek kataklysmos, from kataklyzein to inundate, from kata- + klyzein to wash — more at clyster

Date: 1599

1 : flood, deluge
2 : catastrophe 3a
3 : a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; broadly : an event that brings great changes

— cat·a·clys·mal \ˌka-tə-ˈkliz-məl\ or cat·a·clys·mic \-mik\ adjective

— cat·a·clys·mi·cal·ly \-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb