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cataclysmic

 - 2 dictionary results

cat⋅a⋅clys⋅mic

  [kat-uh-kliz-mik]
Use cataclysmic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or resulting from a cataclysm.
2. of the nature of, or having the effect of, a cataclysm: cataclysmic changes.
Also, cat⋅a⋅clys⋅mal.

Origin:
1850–55; cataclysm + -ic

Related forms:
cat⋅a⋅clys⋅mi⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cataclysmic
cat·a·clysm   (kāt'ə-klĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. A violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change.

  2. A violent and sudden change in the earth's crust.

  3. A devastating flood.


[French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmos, deluge, from Greek kataklusmos, from katakluzein, to inundate : kata-, intensive pref.; see cata- + kluzein, to wash away.]
cat'a·clys'mic (-klĭz'mĭk), cat'a·clys'mal (-klĭz'məl) adj., cat'a·clys'mi·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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