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calamities

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calamities


  1  definition  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Calamity  \Ca*lam"i*ty\n.;  pl  {Calamities}.  [L.  calamitas  akin 
  to  in-columis  unharmed:  cf  F.  calamit['e]] 
  1.  Any  great  misfortune  or  cause  of  misery;  --  generally 
  applied  to  events  or  disasters  which  produce  extensive 
  evil,  either  to  communities  or  individuals. 
 
  Note:  The  word  calamity  was  first  derived  from  calamus  when 
  the  corn  could  not  get  out  of  the  stalk.  --Bacon. 
 
  Strokes  of  calamity  that  scathe  and  scorch  the 
  soul.  --W.  Irving. 
 
  2.  A  state  or  time  of  distress  or  misfortune;  misery. 
 
  The  deliberations  of  calamity  are  rarely  wise. 
  --Burke. 
 
  Where'er  I  came  I  brought  calamity.  --Tennyson. 
 
  Syn:  Disaster;  distress;  affliction;  adversity;  misfortune; 
  unhappiness;  infelicity;  mishap;  mischance;  misery; 
  evil;  extremity;  exigency;  downfall. 
 
  Usage:  {Calamity},  {Disaster},  {Misfortune},  {Mishap}, 
  {Mischance}.  Of  these  words  calamity  is  the 
  strongest.  It  supposes  a  somewhat  continuous  state, 
  produced  not  usually  by  the  direct  agency  of  man,  but 
  by  natural  causes,  such  as  fire,  flood,  tempest, 
  disease,  etc  Disaster  denotes  literally  ill-starred, 
  and  is  some  unforeseen  and  distressing  event  which 
  comes  suddenly  upon  us  as  if  from  hostile  planet. 
  Misfortune  is  often  due  to  no  specific  cause  it  is 
  simply  the  bad  fortune  of  an  individual;  a  link  in  the 
  chain  of  events;  an  evil  independent  of  his  own 
  conduct,  and  not  to  be  charged  as  a  fault.  Mischance 
  and  mishap  are  misfortunes  of  a  trivial  nature, 
  occurring  usually  to  individuals.  ``A  calamity  is 
  either  public  or  private,  but  more  frequently  the 
  former;  a  disaster  is  rather  particular  than  private; 
  it  affects  things  rather  than  persons;  journey, 
  expedition,  and  military  movements  are  often  attended 
  with  disasters;  misfortunes  are  usually  personal;  they 
  immediately  affect  the  interests  of  the  individual.'' 
  --Crabb. 




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