calamitous

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Causing or involving calamity; disastrous.

   The city was struck by a calamitous cyclone.

2. 2
   adj

   Of a person: involved in a calamity; hence, distressed, miserable.

   Nor ought a Judge, in taking cognizance of a Cauſe, to ſhevv any Anger or Reſentment againſt ſuch Perſons as he conceives to be his Enemies, nor to be prevailed on by the Tears and Prayers of calamitous Perſons, nor ought he to affect to be thought Good-natured or Moroſe, Merciful or Severe, but let him act vvith Calmneſs as the Lavv directs; […]

3. 3
   adj

   (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences

Etymology

Borrowed from French calamiteux (“calamitous”) (see French -eux, English -ous), from Latin calamitōsus (“destructive, disastrous, ruinous, calamitous”), a contraction of calamitātōsus, from calamitāt- + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns); calamitāt- is the oblique stem of calamitās (“disaster, misfortune, calamity; damage, harm; loss”), from *calamis (“damaged”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂- (“to beat; to break”)) + -tās (suffix forming abstract nouns denoting a condition or state). By surface analysis, calamity + -ous.