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Definition: Disaster |
DisasterNoun1. 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". 2. An event resulting in great loss and misfortune; "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster". 3. An act that has disastrous consequences. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "disaster" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1200. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Dream Interpretation | To dream of being in any disaster from public conveyance, you are in danger of losing property or of being maimed from some malarious disease. For a young woman to dream of a disaster in which she is a participant, foretells that she will mourn the loss of her lover by death or desertion. To dream of a disaster at sea, denotes unhappiness to sailors and loss of their gains. To others, it signifies loss by death; but if you dream that you are rescued, you will be placed in trying situations, but will come out unscathed. To dream of a railway wreck in which you are not a participant, you will eventually be interested in some accident because of some relative or friend being hurt, or you will have trouble of a business character. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Literature | Disaster is being under an evil star (Greek, dus-aster, evil star). An astrological word. "The stars in their courses fought against Sisera." -Judges v. 20. Source: Brewer's Dictionary. |
Medicine | May connote the sudden and unexpected, with attendant notions of lack of foresight (accidents). Source: European Union. (references) |
Public Administration | In national emergency planning in France, disaster is defined as any major catastrophe extending beyond the boundaries of one municipality. In bilateral agreements with the Federal Republic of Germany, disaster is defined as an emergency that cannot be dealt with by normal means. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The result of a vast ecological breakdown in the relations between man and his environment, a serious and sudden event(or slow, as in drought)on such a scale that the stricken community needs extraordinary efforts to cope with it, often with outside help or international aid; -DDMG. Source: European Union. (references) | |
| A sudden and unexpected event that causes widespread human, material or environmental losses, and exceeds the normal capacity of the affected community so that help from outside is required. Source: European Union. (references) | |
| A sudden calamitous event producing great material damage, loss and distress (flood). Source: European Union. (references) | |
| The misfortunes of a -- may be measurable (taking the atom bomb out of the realms of unimaginable horror and showing it as a measurable --). Source: European Union. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A disaster is an unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant property damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent changes to the natural environment. Disasters may also be unforeseen events which devastate a company or industry, such as a public relations disaster or a major flop. A disaster can create huge financial losses and protection against losses due to disasters is one purpose of insurance.
'Disaster' comes from the Italian desastro, which means "unfavourable to one's stars", ultimately from the Greek astron (star), and reflects the key characteristic of a disaster which is its unintentional nature. Catastrophes which are intentional, such as terrorist attacks, are often called man-made or technological disasters.
See also: disaster relief, space disaster, list of disasters
A disaster in database terminology is a loss of data which cannot be recovered.
See also: Business continuity planning
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Disaster."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Heysel Stadium disaster was an event that took place at the 1985 football European Cup final in the Heysel suburb of Brussels, Belgium.On May 29, 1985, Liverpool F.C played Juventus in the European Cup Final, held at the Heysel Stadium. In a widely criticized move, the Belgian authorities had allocated a section of the ground to neutral fans. This was an idea opposed by Liverpool and Juventus, as it would easily provide an arena for fans who obtained tickets from Belgian ticket touts outside the ground to clash.
A flimsy wire fence had been erected to segregate the fans. After a rain of missiles from the Italian fans inside the neutral area fell upon the Liverpool fans, the Liverpool fans charged at and breached the fence. In an attempt to retreat from the advancing English fans, the Juventus fans ran to the far end of the Western End, where a concrete wall blocked their retreat. The huge load and pressure that resulted from the sheer numbers of people gathered proved too much for the wall, and eventually it gave way – falling directly upon the trapped Italian fans. 39 people (1 Belgian and 38 Italian) lost their lives.
Juventus later won the match 1-0.
As a direct result of this event all English clubs were banned from European football for six years.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Heysel Stadium disaster."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The Seveso disaster was an industrial accident that occurred in Seveso, Italy on July 10, 1976.
It occurred when a chemical plant released large amounts of the dioxin TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) into the atmosphere and the chemicals spread throughout a large section of the lombard plain between Milan and Lake Como. The release killed off large amounts of vegetation and about 3300 animals were killed by the dioxin, while a further 70,000 were slaughtered to prevent dioxin from entering the food chain. Several people in the affected areas suffered from skin leasions and other symptoms. Fortunately in the long run human symptoms were not grave. Cancer rates were increased only slightly, if at all, and other problems relating to reproduction and mental illness were far less than many had worried at the time of the outbreak. Treatment of the soil in the effected areas was so complete that it now has a dioxin level below what would normally be found. The disaster lead to the Seveso Directive, which was issued by the European Community and imposed much harsher industrial regulations.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Seveso disaster."
Synonyms: DisasterSynonyms: calamity (n), cataclysm (n), catastrophe (n), tragedy (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Adversity | Mishap, mischance, misadventure, misfortune; disaster, calamity, catastrophe; accident, casualty, cross, reverse, check, contretemps, rub; backset, comedown, setback. |
Evil | Disaster, accident, casualty; mishap; (misfortune); bad job, devil to pay; calamity, bale, catastrophe, tragedy; ruin; (destruction); adversity. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Excuse me. I'm not getting any of my mail, nothing has been filed! Ever since she got engaged, my life has been a disaster! (Big; writing credit: Gary Ross; Anne Spielberg) It's been a disaster. (Four Weddings and a Funeral; writing credit: Richard Curtis) This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportion (Ghost Busters; writing credit: Dan Aykroyd; Harold Ramis) There's always a little bit of heaven in a disaster area (Woodstock; writing credit: Derek Ford; Donald Ford) Well don't let it get to your head, your hair is already such a disaster that the Red Cross wouldn't give it coffee (Will & Grace; writing credit: Evan Weinstein) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Brink of Disaster! (1972) Date with Disaster (1957) Disaster (1948) Hindenburg Disaster Newsreel Footage (1937) Trilby's Love Disaster (1916) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
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High Tech |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Disaster Aid. Local citizens receive Typhoid vacinations from Dr. M.L. Fuller, Director, Laredo/Webb County Health Unit and other employees in a mass immunization program following the Rio Grande flood of 1954. Credit: CDC. |  | Aerial view of Turnagain Arms, Alaska after 1963 Good Friday Earthquake NOAA photo aircraft often help evaluate disaster damage. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | NOAA photo crews help ground-truth disaster damage at Turnagain Arms Damage caused by 1963 Good Friday Earthquake. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | EXXON remedial vessels still working on beaches one year after the EXXON VALDEZ disaster. Credit: America's Coastlines. |
 | STAN, short for "standard man," is a life-like computer-controlled casualty simulator used for training Air Force nurses in a variety of disaster response and wartime skills. (Courtesy photo). |  | Fall colors of Aspen near the headwaters of Big Trout Creek at Disaster Peak in the Vale WSA. (3-153). Credit: Scott Moore. |
 | The Disaster Peak Wilderness Study Area. Looking into the Nevada BLM lands, also administrated by the Vale District. OR 3-153. Credit: Unknown. |  | World Health Day disaster. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
 | Men pay their respects at the grave of Captain Cornelius M. Schoonmaker, USN, Commanding Officer of USS Vandalia, who lost his life when his ship was wrecked during the storm. He was buried near Apia, Upolu, Samoa. Photographed shortly after the disaster. Those present are (from left to right): Mr. Hart, news correspondent; Mr. J.P. Dunning, Associated Press correspondent; Chief Engineer Albert S. Greene, of USS Vandalia; Ensign John H. Gibbons, of USS Vandalia; Lieutenant James W. Carlin, of USS Vandalia; two unidentified men; and Captain Norman H. Farquhar, Commanding Officer of USS Trenton. Credit: NAVY. |  | Aerial view of the disaster area, looking northward, seen from a plane assigned to USS Aroostook (CM-3). Visible are six of the seven destroyers that ran aground on Honda Point during the night of 8 September 1923. They are: USS Fuller (DD-297), at left; USS Woodbury (DD-309), just ahead of Fuller; USS Young (DD-312), capsized in the center of the view; USS Chauncey (DD-296), upright just ahead of Young; USS Nicholas (DD-311), beyond the rocks in the center; and USS Delphy (DD-261), capsized in the small cove between Chauncey and Nicholas. The remaining ship, USS S.P. Lee (DD-310), is out of sight behind the rocky point, astern of Nicholas. Credit: NAVY. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Fountain in Victoria Square" by Philip Jackson Commentary: "Water rushing down the steps in victoria square. I guess you could use it with some kinda plumbing article of disaster theme." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| Author | Quotation |
George Meredith | The most dire disaster in love is the death of imagination. |
Hesiod | Do not seek evil gains; evil gains are the equivalant of disaster. |
Oscar Wilde | The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | The disaster of the sunken road had decimated, but not discouraged them |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Federal funding of emergency spraying is rare and almost always requires a federal disaster declaration. (references) | |
Since drowsiness is the brain’s last step before falling asleep, driving while drowsy can – and often does – lead to disaster. (references) | ||
Such disaster declarations usually occur when the vector-borne disease has the potential to infect large numbers of people, when a large population is at risk and when the area requiring treatment is extensive. (references) | ||
Business | Through the U.S. federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. has developed a long history in disaster management. (references) | |
Due to these losses, international organizations such as the World Bank are requiring that newly proposed projects include disaster prevention-mitigation plans prior to receiving funding approval. (references) | ||
National and local administrations are aware that forest fire and natural disaster emergencies must be prevented whenever possible and consequently are increasing the number of alarm and defense systems. (references) | ||
Civil Liberties | China | Quick and accurate reporting by the media led to the arrest in August of 15 persons who had tried to cover up the disaster. (references) |
Economic History | Russia | This is a recipe for disaster. (references) |
Bangladesh | These aircraft will improve the military's disaster response and peacekeeping capabilities. (references) | |
Human Rights | Afghanistan | The Taliban's rapid fall from power averted a much-feared large-scale humanitarian disaster. (references) |
Jamaica | Prime Minister Patterson criticized the predawn operation as "inhumane," and ordered the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Relief to provide shelter and relief to those ejected. (references) | |
Belarus | Some observers claimed that the authorities filed charges against Revkov and Bansazhevsky in retaliation for their outspoken criticism of the Government's handling of problems related to the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. (references) | |
Political Economy | Guatemala | In November the PDH censured both the President and the Vice President for failing to promote policies of economic development to prevent such a disaster. (references) |
Guatemala | In September when the eastern part of the country suffered the effects of drought and 80 percent of the year's harvest was lost, the Government declared a national disaster. (references) | |
Kenya | The U.S. maintains a military access agreement with the Government of Kenya and Kenya has recently joined the Africa Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI), a U.S.-promoted program to promote Africa-based military cooperation in the areas of peacekeeping and disaster relief. (references) | |
Trade | Bolivia | A temporary importation permit (TIP) can be issued by customs for goods intended as samples, exhibitions, natural disaster relief machinery and equipment, equipment and apparatus for testing and scientific research, aircraft and vehicles for tourism, equipment for petroleum exploration and exploitation and other similar items intended for re-export. (references) |
Jamaica | In January 1997, facing a sector-wide disaster, the government established a temporary agency, the Financial Sector Adjustment Company (FINSAC) to supervise the recovery and restructuring of failing financial institutions, coordinate interventions of various agencies (specifically the Bank of Jamaica and the Superintendent of Insurance) and address the weakness in financial management and strengthening the supervision of the sector. (references) | |
Indonesia | ADB-financed social, physical and financial infrastructure projects in the public sector create commercial opportunities in many areas, such as: agriculture and natural resources (including disaster management); education and training (including distance learning); energy (including power generation, renewable energy and energy efficiency); environment (including water supply, waste treatment and air pollution control); financial services (including banking and insurance reform, small business finance, microfinance and capital markets development); healthcare (including telemedicine); infrastructure (including housing and urban redevelopment); and transportation (including rail, road and port projects). (references) | |
Worker Rights | India | An investigation into the cause of the disaster began during the year. (references) |
Laos | The Labor Code prohibits forced labor except in time of war or national disaster, during which time the State may conscript laborers. (references) | |
Ukraine | The law prohibits strikes that jeopardize life or health, the environment, or that can hinder disaster, accident, or epidemic-related operations. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FASHION, n. A despot whom the wise ridicule and obey. A king there was who lost an eye In some excess of passion; And straight his courtiers all did try To follow the new fashion. Each dropped one eyelid when before The throne he ventured, thinking 'Twould please the king. That monarch swore He'd slay them all for winking. What should they do? They were not hot To hazard such disaster; They dared not close an eye -- dared not See better than their master. Seeing them lacrymose and glum, A leech consoled the weepers: He spread small rags with liquid gum And covered half their peepers. The court all wore the stuff, the flame Of royal anger dying. That's how court-plaster got its name Unless I'm greatly lying. Naramy Oof |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Dennis Miller | Because nobody takes advantage of adversity better than the lawyers who specialize in looking at a disaster and figuring out how to make a buck off of it. |
Rush Limbaugh | We started slamming the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, leaving the Democrats who predicted disaster with egg all over their faces. |
Sarah Ferguson | Well, after the disaster, we were given offices by Credit Swiss First Boston, which was very kind, temporary offices. And then Michael Bloomberg has given us full time office space there in his office, which is very kind. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
James Madison | 1809-1817 | His threats and his barbarities, instead of dismay, will kindle in every bosom an indignation not be extinguished but in the disaster and expulsion of such cruel invaders. |
Martin van Buren | 1837-1841 | The last, perhaps the greatest, of the prominent sources of discord and disaster supposed to lurk in our political condition was the institution of domestic slavery. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | In a world that has grown small and dangerous, pursuit of narrow aims could bring decay and even disaster. |
Richard Nixon | 1969-1974 | For the future of peace, precipitate withdrawal would thus be a disaster of immense magnitude. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | We know that inflation is a burden for all Americans, but it's a disaster for the poor, the sick, and the old. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Social security, as some of us had warned for so long, faced disaster. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Last year, the Congress provided substantial assistance to help stave off a disaster in American agriculture. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Disaster" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.64% of the time. "Disaster" is used about 2,767 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.64% | 2,757 | 3,343 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.36% | 10 | 111,207 |
| Total | 100.00% | 2,767 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "disaster": air disaster ♦ court disaster ♦ declare a federal disaster area ♦ disaster area ♦ disaster command and control ♦ Disaster Planning ♦ disaster prevention ♦ disaster recovery planning ♦ disaster victim ♦ federal disaster area ♦ fire disaster ♦ flood disaster ♦ forerunner of disaster ♦ mining disaster ♦ natural disaster ♦ technological disaster ♦ this will lead to disaster ♦ verge on disaster ♦ walking disaster area. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "disaster": disaster-affected, disaster-hit, disaster-laden, disaster-makers, disaster-obsessed, disaster-payouts, disaster-prone, disaster-relief, disaster-shutter, disaster-stricken, disaster-that, disaster-victim. | |
Ending with "disaster": near-disaster. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "disaster"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | katastrofë (calamity, catastrophe), gjëmë (calamity, catastrophe, fatality), fatkeqësi (accident, adversity, bane, calamity, casualty, distress, doom, evil, fatality, ill luck, infelicity, misadventure, misery, misfortune, plague, teen, tribulation, woe), bela (annoyance, bother, curse, mess, mishap, pest, pickle, trouble). (various references) | |
Arabic | شر (evil, harm), فاجعة (calamity, catastrophe, fatality), كارثة (blow, calamity, casualty, catastrophe, evil, fatal, fate, grief, holocaust, plague, scourge, shambles), محنة (adversity, affliction, calamity, catastrophe, distress, misfortune, ordeal, trial, tribulation, woe), مصيبة (adversity, affliction, blow, calamity, catastrophe, distress, misfortune, ordeal, scourge, trial, tribulation, woe), نكبة (accident, calamity, catastrophe, disgrace), نائبة مصيبة (calamity, catastrophe, misfortune), حدث (befall, calamity, come, come about, come by, come off, episode, event, fall out, flow, go, happen, happening, incident, juvenile, occasion, occur, pass, phenomenon, place, rise, take place, transpire, work, young, youngish, youngling, youngster), طامة (calamity, catastrophe). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | катастрофа (accident, catastrophe, crash, fatality, prang, shunt, smash, smash up), гибел (death, doom, fate, grave, perdition, ruin, ruination, shipwreck, subversion, undoing), зло (abuse, bad, cancer, curse, evil, harm, ill, mischief, ulcer, wrong), бедствие (adversity, affliction, calamity, curse, distress, evil), беда (adversity, bale, distress, hardship, infelicity, infliction, mischief, misfortune, plight, stroke, teen, trouble, woe). (various references) | |
Chinese | 難 (difficult, difficulty, distress, not good, problem, to scold), 灾害, 災難 (catastrophe), 災 (calamity), 禍 , 慘事 . (various references) | |
Czech | pohroma (blight, calamity, catastrophe, plague), neštìstí (accident, affliction, casualty, infelicity, unhappiness, woe), katastrofa (calamity, catastrophe), fiasko (failure, fiasco, flop, squib, wash out, washout). (various references) | |
Danish | katastrofe(Frankrig), katastrofe (catastrophe). (various references) | |
Dutch | ramp(Frankrijk), ramp (catastrophe). (various references) | |
Farsi | مصیبت (Bale, Calamity, Catastrophe, Curse, Sorrow, Tragedy), حادثه بد (Mishap), ستاره ء بدبختی , بلا (Bale, Calamity, Curse, Deuce, Misadventure, Pest, Plague, Scourge, Terror), بدبختی (Adversity, Calamity, Misadventure, Mischance, Misery, Misfortune, Mishap, Reverse, Wrack). (various references) | |
Finnish | suuronnettomuus (catastrophe), onnettomuus (accident, calamity, misadventure, misfortune, mishap, unhappiness), katastrofi (catastrophe). (various references) | |
French | désastre, catastrophe. (various references) | |
German | Unglück (accident, adversity, bad luck, calamity, evil, hoodoo, infelicity, misadventure, misfortune, mishap, tragedy, unhappiness, wreck), katastrophe (calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, debacle, tragedy). (various references) | |
Greek | καταστροφή (catastrophe, destruction, devastation, mayhem, rack, ravage, ruin, undoing, wreckage), συμφορά (calamity, tribulation, woe). (various references) | |
Hebrew | אסון (accident, calamity, catastrophe, tragedy). (various references) | |
Hungarian | katasztrófa (catastrophe), szerencsétlenség (adversity, amiss, calamity, catastrophe, fatality, grief, ills, misadventure, misfortune, misgiving, mishap, smash, wretchedness), csapás (adversity, affliction, attack, bane, calamity, chop, clash, dent, follow-up attack, hack, hit, ills, misfortune, plague, raid, runway, slap, sorrow, strike, striking, stroke, thrust, track, tribulation, whack). (various references) | |
Indonesian | petaka (calamity, catastrophe, plague), musibah (calamity), malapetaka (doom, havoc), mala (accident, flaw, misfortune), bencana (calamity, catastrophe, plague), bala (troops). (various references) | |
Italian | disastro (catastrophe, crash, damage, failure, smash, washout, wreck), catastrofe (catastrophe). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 遭難 (accident, shipwreck), 災厄 (accident, calamity), 惨事 (horrible accident). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | さんじ (3 o'clock snack, childbirth, compliment, councillor, cubic, eulogy, horrible accident, newborn baby, praise, secretary, silkworm, three times), へんさい (accident, repayment), じへん (accident, emergency, incident, uprising), やく (about, advantage, approximately, bad luck, being beneficial, benefit, evil, gain, misfortune, position, profit, role, service, some, to bake, to be envious of, to be jealous of, to grill, use), やくさい (accident, calamity, running a translation), いへん (accident, leather cord), ふこう (accident, death, lack of filial piety, misfortune, rich ore, sorrow, undutifulness to one's parents, unhappiness), てんさい (genius, horizon, natural calamity, natural gift, prodigy, reprinting, sugar beet), ぶしゅうぎ (accident, death, misfortune, sorrow, unhappiness), たいやく (calamity, grand climacteric, great misfortune, important task or role or duty, original text with its translation printed side by side or on opposite page), さいやく (accident, calamity), さいがい (boundary, calamity, end, limits, misfortune, outer-most), ひさん (arsenic acid, dispersal, flying, misery, pitiful, scattering, tragedy, wretched), きょう (all, and, as well as, assist, bad harvest, bad luck, both, Buddhist scriptures, coerce, co-operation, correct, entertainment, evil, exposing, Hungary, including, interest, lance, long ages, neither, offer, pleasure, plural ending, present, save, serve, submit, supply, sutra, temporary home, this day, threat, threaten, today, together with, turmoil, wickedness, with), きょうへん (assassination, calamity, catastrophe, joint editorship), そうなん (accident, shipwreck), ふしゅうぎ (accident, death, misfortune, sorrow, unhappiness). (various references) | |
Korean | 재해. (various references) | |
Manx | traartys (butchery, depredation, desolation, destruction, devastation, havoc, massacre, ravage, rout, slaughter, slaughtering), drogh-haghyrt (bad accident, mischance), craght (depredation, devastation, foray, loot, massacre, pillage, plunder, ruin, spoil, vandalism), cragh (booty, capture, depredation, devastation, doom, foray, havoc, loot, plunder, prey, prize, ravishment, sack, scoop, spoil). (various references) | |
Norwegian | ulykke (accident, fatality), katastrofe (calamity). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | isasterday.(various references) | |
Portuguese | desastre (accident, blow, casualty, debacle, evil, misfortune, smash). (various references) | |
Romanian | dezastru (calamity, casualty, fatality, scourge), topenie (calamity), sinistru (awful, awfully, calamity, catastrophe, horrible, horribly, lugubrious, lugubriously, luridly, sinister), prãpastie (abysm, abyss, chaos, chasm, depth, gulf, hollow, precipice, ravine, scar, steep), prãpãd (destruction, fate, flood, havoc), osândã (doom), nenorocire (accident, affliction, bale, bane, blow, calamity, catastrophe, curse, distress, evil, ill, misadventure, misery, misfortune, need, reverse, rod, scourge, sore, trouble), nãpastã (blight, calamity, calumny, curse, injustice, offence, pest, plague, slander, wrong), catastrofã (calamity, catastrophe, distress), cataclism (cataclysm), calamitate (affliction, calamity, fatality, pain, reverse, scourge, woe), adversitate (adversity, calamity, misfortune), accident (accidence, accident, accidental, break down, case, catastrophe, contingency, event, fortuity, happening, misadventure, misfortune, occasionality, slip, wreck). (various references) | |
Russian | несчастье (adversity, affliction, distress, evil, fatality, infelicity, misadventure, misfortune, mishap, teen, tribulation, unhappiness, woe, woes), бедствие;аварийная ситуация, бедствие (bale, bete noire, calamity, cancer, catastrophe, curse, distress, evil, plague, tribulation), беда (catastrophe, mischief, misfortune, trouble). (various references) | |
Scottish | dunach (misfortune, woe), ciorram (hurt, mishap). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | nesreća (accident, affliction, calamity, infelicity, misadventure, misfortune, mishap, plague, trouble, unhappiness, woe), katastrofa (catastrophe). (various references) | |
Spanish | desastre (calamity, debacle, washout). (various references) | |
Swedish | katastrof (calamity, catastrophe, crash, smash). (various references) | |
Turkish | yıkım (bad, bane, blight, cropper, damnation, death, debacle, demolition, havoc, ravage, ruin, undoing, wrecking), felâket (affliction, bane, blight, blow, calamity, calvary, casualty, cataclysm, catastrophe, debacle, distress, fatality, fate, harm, hell, hell of, helluva, misfortune, mishap, plague, scathe, scourge, tragedy, undoing), facia (tragedy), afet (a bewitching beauty, bane, beauty, blight, calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, kayo, knockout, stunner). (various references) | |
Turkmen | bela. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | лихо (adversity, affliction, bad, bale, calamity, cancer, catastrophe, curse, harm, ill, mischief, mishap, plague, woe). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | thảm hoạ (catastrophe, catastrophic), tai hoạ (affliction, blight, calamity, casualty, curse), tai ách điều bất hạnh. (various references) | |
Welsh | trychineb (calamity). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | calamitas, cladem, clades, mala, male, mali, malis, malo, malorum, malum, malumque, perniciem. (various references) |
| Italian | 900-Modern | disastro. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "disaster": disasters. (additional references) | |
| |
"Disaster" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Cisister, desaster, diasaster, diaster, Dicastero, disaaster, disast, disastor, disastr, disastre, disater, Djimasta, dosaster, Dynastar, pisaster. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "disaster" (pronounced di'za"ster) |
| 4 | -a" s t er | aster, blaster, caster, Castor, faster, Gaster, grandmaster, headmaster, laster, master, oleaster, paster, pastor, pilaster, plaster, raster. |
| 3 | -s t er | dumpster, duster, Easter, adjuster, administer, alabaster, ancestor, banister, bannister, barrister, blister, blockbuster, bluster, bolster, booster, broadcaster, burgomaster, Buster, canister, cannister, cloister, cluster, coaster, concertmaster, coster, Dempster, Dexter, digester, ester, Feaster, fester, filibuster, fluster, forecaster, Forester, Foster, gangbuster, gangster, hamster, harvester, heister, holster, huckster, imposter, impostor, investor, jester, juster, keister, kiester, lackluster, Leister, Lister, lobster, Luster, lustre, minister, Minster, Mister, mobster, molester, monster, muenster, Munster, muster, nester, Nestor, newscaster, oldster, ouster, oyster, pester, pollster, polyester, poster, postmaster, prankster, protester, quartermaster, register, requester, rester, ringmaster, roadster, roaster, roister, rooster, roster, royster, schoolmaster, scoutmaster, seamster, semester, sequester, shyster, sinister, sister, spinster, sportscaster, stepsister, taskmaster, taster, teamster, tester, thruster, tipster, toaster, toastmaster, transistor, trickster, trimester, twister, Ulster, upholster, waster, Webster, Wester, youngster, zoster. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: diasters, disrates. | |
| Words within the letters "a-d-e-i-r-s-s-t" | |
-1 letter: aridest, astride, diaster, disrate, disseat, dissert, satires, staider, strides, tardies, tirades. | |
-2 letters: aiders, airest, airted, arises, asides, assert, asters, daises, dassie, daters, deairs, deists, derats, desist, direst, driest, irades, raised, raises, redias, resaid, resids, resist, sadist, satire, serais, siesta, sister, sistra, sitars, stades, stairs, stared, stares, steads, striae, stride, tassie, terais, tirade. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-d-e-i-r-s-s-t" | |
+1 letter: asteroids, disasters, satirised, steadiers, tardiness. | |
+2 letters: adroitness, advertises, asterisked, bastardies, bastardise, carditises, crassitude, dermatosis, dishwaters, dispersant, dissertate, dissipater, draftiness, dramatises, estradiols, intradoses, midstreams, misstarted, ostracised, sidestream, sidetracks, spermatids, streamside, sudatories, tawdriness, therapsids, tracksides, waitressed, watersides. | |
+3 letters: absurdities, administers, adversities, advertisers, arthrodesis, bastardised, bastardises, bastardizes, breadsticks, crassitudes, desiccators, desiderates, designators, diarthroses, diatessaron, disbarments, disenthrals, disheartens, disparities, dispatchers, dispersants, dissertated, dissertates, dissertator, dissipaters, distrainers, driveshafts, federalists, gastritides, masterminds, parasitised, pasteurised, pederasties, pedestrians, pediatrists, smaragdites, standardise, stewardship, strandlines, streamsides, stridulates, tardinesses, threadiness. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
