Disaster

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Disaster \Dis*as"ter\, v. t.
     1. To blast by the influence of a baleful star. [Obs.] --Sir
        P. Sidney.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To bring harm upon; to injure. [R.] --Thomson.


        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Disaster \Dis*as"ter\, n. [F. d['e]sastre; pref. d['e]s- (L.
     dis-) + astre star, fr. L. astrum; a word of astrological
     origin. See {Aster}, {Astral}, {Star}.]
     1. An unpropitious or baleful aspect of a planet or star;
        malevolent influence of a heavenly body; hence, an ill
        portent. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Disasters in the sun.                 --Shak.
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     2. An adverse or unfortunate event, esp. a sudden and
        extraordinary misfortune; a calamity; a serious mishap.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              But noble souls, through dust and heat,
              Rise from disaster and defeat
              The stronger.                         --Longfellow.
  
     Syn: Calamity; misfortune; mishap; mischance; visitation;
          misadventure; ill luck. See {Calamity}.
          [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  disaster
       n 1: a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and
            misfortune; "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe
            for our school system"; "his policies were a disaster"
            [syn: {catastrophe}]
       2: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; "the whole
          city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the
          earthquake was a disaster" [syn: {calamity}, {catastrophe},
           {tragedy}, {cataclysm}]
       3: an act that has disastrous consequences

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  58 Moby Thesaurus words for "disaster":
     accident, act of God, adversity, apoplexy, blow, breakdown,
     breaking up, breakup, calamity, casualty, cataclysm, catastrophe,
     cave, cave-in, climax, collapse, collision, contretemps,
     convulsion, crack-up, crash, debacle, diastrophism, distress,
     fatal accident, fatality, fit, grief, ill hap, misadventure,
     mischance, misfortune, mishap, nasty blow, overthrow, paroxysm,
     pileup, quake, reverse, rocks, shipwreck, shock, smash, smashup,
     spasm, staggering blow, stroke, temblor, tidal wave, total loss,
     tragedy, trouble, tsunami, upheaval, violent death, washout, wrack,
     wreck