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calamity
[ kuh-lam-i-tee ]
/ kəˈlæm ɪ ti /
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noun, plural ca·lam·i·ties.
a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury.
grievous affliction; adversity; misery: the calamity of war.
OTHER WORDS FOR calamity
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of calamity
1375–1425; late Middle English calamite<Middle French <Latin calamitāt- (stem of calamitās), perhaps akin to incolumitās safety
synonym study for calamity
1. See disaster.
Words nearby calamity
calamine, calamine brass, calamint, calamite, calamitous, calamity, Calamity Jane, calamondin, calamus, calando, calandria
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use calamity in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for calamity
calamity
/ (kəˈlæmɪtɪ) /
noun plural -ties
a disaster or misfortune, esp one causing extreme havoc, distress, or misery
a state or feeling of deep distress or misery
Word Origin for calamity
C15: from French calamité, from Latin calamitās; related to Latin incolumis uninjured
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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