A catastrophe is a sudden, terrible event that causes a lot of damage or suffering. It can describe natural disasters, huge accidents, or complete failures.
From Greek 'katastrophē' meaning 'overturning' or 'sudden end', from 'kata-' meaning 'down' and 'strephein' meaning 'to turn'. In ancient drama, it was the final, dramatic turn of events, often disastrous.
Originally, a 'catastrophe' was the big twist at the end of a play, not just a disaster. So when we say something is a catastrophe, we’re treating real life like a drama that suddenly flips upside down in the final act.
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