hecatomb

[ hek-uh-tohm, -toom ]

noun

1. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a public sacrifice of 100 oxen to the gods.
2. any great slaughter:

   the hecatombs of modern wars.

hecatomb

/ ˈhɛkəˌtəʊm; -ˌtuːm /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece or Rome) any great public sacrifice and feast, originally one in which 100 oxen were sacrificed
2. a great sacrifice

Word History and Origins

Origin of hecatomb¹

1585–95; < Latin hecatombē < Greek hekatómbē < *hekatombwā, equivalent to hékaton one hundred + *-bwā, taken to be a derivative of boûs ox ( cow ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hecatomb¹

C16: from Latin hecatombē, from Greek hekatombē, from hekaton hundred + bous ox

Example Sentences

Thus it seemed the practice of making a hecatomb of dogs and cats on these sad occasions.

From Project Gutenberg

Then Cinna, who not long before would have laughed at faith in Hecate, sacrificed a hecatomb to her.

From Project Gutenberg

Or it may be, the last entertainment is that hecatomb they call a wedding breakfast, which celebrates the triumph of a rival.

From Project Gutenberg

Above all the anguish and tears of that immense hecatomb will appear the shade of Lincoln as the symbol of hope and of pardon.

From Project Gutenberg

Yearly will Charless Bath claim its hecatomb; I know not why.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bloodshed
• butchery
• crime
• havoc
• killing
• mass murder
• slaughter
• slaying
• warfare