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καταστροφή
disaster /kataˌstroˈfi/
nounA2#769 most common
Also: catastrophe, destruction, devastation, ruin
Example sentences
Τι καταστροφή!
What a disaster!
Το δωμάτιό σου είναι μια καταστροφή!
Your room is a disaster!
Ο σεισμός προκάλεσε τεράστια καταστροφή στην πόλη.
The earthquake caused enormous destruction in the city.
Η πλημμύρα ήταν μια πραγματική καταστροφή για τους αγρότες της περιοχής.
The flood was a real disaster for the farmers of the region.
Αν δεν αλλάξουμε τρόπο ζωής, βαδίζουμε προς μια οικολογική καταστροφή.
If we don't change our way of life, we are heading toward an ecological catastrophe.
Η Μικρασιατική Καταστροφή του 1922 σημάδεψε ανεξίτηλα τη νεότερη ελληνική ιστορία.
The Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922 indelibly marked modern Greek history.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | καταστροφή | καταστροφές |
| Genitive | καταστροφής | καταστροφών |
| Accusative | καταστροφή | καταστροφές |
| Vocative | καταστροφή | καταστροφές |
Word family
καταστρέφωto destroy, ruin
καταστροφικόςcatastrophic, disastrous
καταστροφέαςdestroyer; shredder
καταστρεπτικόςdestructive
κατεστραμμένοςdestroyed, ruined
Etymology
From Ancient Greek καταστροφή 'an overturning, sudden turn, the dénouement of a drama', a deverbal noun from καταστρέφω 'to turn down, overturn, bring to ruin'. This is κατά 'down' + στρέφω 'to turn'. The dramatic sense of the decisive turning point of a tragedy broadened into the modern sense of 'disaster, ruin'; the word spread to most European languages through Latin catastropha.
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