Back to all words

Catastrophe

2 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a sudden and widespread disaster or misfortune
1
Stage 1 of 2
katastrophe
Greek · ancient
"a sudden overturning or turning point"
literally an overturning, originally the turning point of a tragedy
2
Stage 2 of 2
catastrophe
English · 1500s
"a sudden, widespread disaster"
broadened from a tragic plot's ending to any disaster
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom