calamity

C2 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /kəˈlæmɪti/ See IPA manual

Freq #14666

Meanings

1

noun
An event that causes great harm, loss, or suffering; a disaster.

The flood was the worst calamity the region had seen in a century.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an event that causes great... disaster

Word family

Forms calamities

Derived forms calamitistfiscalamity

Related forms calamitous calamitously

Simplified etymology

Calamity came through Old French calamite from Latin calamitas, “damage, disaster, adversity.” Latin writers connected calamitas with calamus, “straw” or “corn stalk,” as if it referred to weather damage to crops, but that explanation is doubtful.

Etymology

From Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”).

*kelh₂- Proto-Indo-European calamité Middle French calamitās Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# calamity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kəˈlæmɪti/
**Frequency rank:** 14666

## Meanings
1. An event that causes great harm, loss, or suffering; a disaster.

## Examples
- The flood was the worst calamity the region had seen in a century.

## Derived Forms
- calamitist
- fiscalamity

## Related Forms
- calamitous
- calamitously

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kelh₂-
- Root: calamité
- Root: calamitās

## Etymology
From Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”).

## AI Etymology
Calamity is from Middle French calamité, from Latin calamitās (“loss, damage; disaster”). Important recorded forms include *kelh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), calamité (Middle French), and calamitās (Latin). Current senses include an event that causes great harm, loss, or suffering; a disaster. The wider family includes derived forms such as calamitist and fiscalamity; related words such as calamitous and calamitously.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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