Relating to or causing a sudden, violent, and large-scale upheaval or disaster that dramatically changes conditions.
From Greek 'kataklysmos' (flood, deluge) + Latin suffix '-alis'. Originally described the mythical Great Flood, later extended metaphorically to any catastrophic event that reshapes the world.
This word entered English during the Enlightenment when scholars debated whether Noah's Flood actually happened—they called such world-changing disasters 'cataclysmal' events, a term that perfectly captures sudden, total transformation.
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