Entry Word: cataclysm

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms <an ancient cataclysm that may have been the basis for the Flood described in the Bible> — see flood
2 a sudden violent event that brings about great loss or destruction <the earthquake that struck Lisbon in 1755, killing 30,000 people, was one of the greatest cataclysms ever recorded> — see disaster
3 a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order) <a social cataclysm that gave rise to a new world order> — see convulsion