disasters
|dis-as-ters|
🇺🇸
/dɪˈzæstərz/
🇬🇧
/dɪˈzɑːstəz/
(disaster)
sudden catastrophe
Etymology
'disaster' originates from Italian and French, specifically the Italian word 'disastro' and Old French 'desastre', where the prefix 'dis-' meant 'bad' or 'apart' and the root 'astro' (from Latin/Greek 'astron') meant 'star'.
'disaster' came into English via Middle French and Italian ('disastro' / 'desastre') from Late Latin/Greek roots; the Italian 'disastro' and Old French 'desastre' developed into the modern English 'disaster'.
Initially, it meant 'an ill-starred event' or 'bad star' (misfortune caused by unfavorable stars), but over time it evolved to mean 'a sudden great misfortune or calamity' in general.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a sudden event (such as an earthquake, flood, or fire) that causes great damage, loss of life, or severe disruption.
Natural disasters like earthquakes and floods cause widespread damage.
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Noun 2
a complete failure or fiasco (an event, plan, or undertaking that goes very badly).
Several new product launches turned into costly disasters for the company.
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Last updated: 2025/11/01 07:08