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disaster

/dɪˈzɑːs.təː/ (Received-Pronunciation, UK)[dɪˈzɑːs.təː] (Received-Pronunciation, UK)/dɪˈzas.təː/ (Northern-England, UK)syllables: di·sas·ter
  • noun
  • from Middle French

An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.

▶ Play the mastery game

1 All current definitions

Every sense of “disaster” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.

noun

  1. countableuncountableAn unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.

    People would suffer disasters when society's morality degenerates.

  2. countableuncountableAn unfortunate or unpleasant occurrence, especially one resulting from an accident or something going wrong.

    Then Jill came in, And she did grin, To see Jack's paper plaster; Her mother whipt her, Across her knee, For laughing at Jack's disaster.1810, Jack and Jill, and old Dame Gill, York: J. Kendrew, page 4:

  3. countableuncountableAn wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.

    the cake was a disaster.

  4. countableuncountableA skateboard trick involving a 180-degree ollie, landing on the center of the board with the front trucks facing towards the ramp and the back trucks over the lip. The skater then leans forwards to return in the ramp.
Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
  1. nouna state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune — also: catastrophe
  2. nounan event resulting in great loss and misfortune — also: calamity, catastrophe, tragedy, cataclysm
  3. nounan act that has disastrous consequences
Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License

Synonyms: adversity, apocalypse, calamity, catastrophe, disaster, misery, qualm, woe

Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

2 History of the word

The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.

The word’s journey, newest to oldest:

  1. English (today)disaster
  2. Middle Frenchdesastre
  3. Italiandisastro
  4. Italiandis- + astro “star”
  5. Latinastrum “star”
  6. Ancient Greekἄστρον (ástron) “star”
  7. Proto-Indo-European*h₂stḗr

From Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from dis- + astro (“star”), from Latin astrum (“star”), from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.

Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Derivatives — words built from “disaster”

blizzasterdisasterclassdisasterlessdisasterlydisasteroiddisasterpiecedisastrophedisastrousecodisastermegadisasterminidisasternondisasterpostdisasterpost-disasterpredisaster

Phrases & compounds

disaster areadisaster filmdisaster floradisaster moviedisaster tourismdisaster touristdisaster waiting to happennatural disasterrecipe for disaster

Related terms

misfortuneaccidentdumpster firemishapmisadventuremischancetire firedisastrousdisastrously
Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Want to go deeper? See also “disaster” on Etymonline ↗

3 Original language

Where “disaster” came from before it was English.

Came into English from
Middle French
Middle French desastre
Oldest written form
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron) “star”
Deepest root (reconstructed)
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr
Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

4 Original meaning

What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.

Ancient Greek
“star”
Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron)
Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913

A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.

disaster n. [F. d; pref. d (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.
  2. An adverse or unfortunate event, esp. a sudden and extraordinary misfortune; a calamity; a serious mishap.

disaster v. t.

  1. To blast by the influence of a baleful star.
  2. To bring harm upon; to injure.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), public domain, via GCIDE

5 Use it with confidence

Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.

nounMeaning: An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.

People would suffer disasters when society's morality degenerates.

nounMeaning: An unfortunate or unpleasant occurrence, especially one resulting from an accident or something going wrong.

Then Jill came in, And she did grin, To see Jack's paper plaster; Her mother whipt her, Across her knee, For laughing at Jack's disaster.1810, Jack and Jill, and old Dame Gill, York: J. Kendrew, page 4:

A nod means good, two nods; very good. And then there's the pursing of the lips: disaster.2003, The Devil Wears Prada:

nounMeaning: An wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.

the cake was a disaster.

nounMeaning: a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune

his policies were a disaster

nounMeaning: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

the earthquake was a disaster

Princeton WordNet 3.0 — WordNet License
Wiktionary: “disaster” (via kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0

Three steps to owning it

  1. Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
  2. Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
  3. Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?

6 The mastery game

Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.

Step 1 of 9

Say it, then spell it

disaster

/dɪˈzɑːs.təː/ · di·sas·ter

Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.

Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________

disaster

/dɪˈzɑːs.təː/ · di·sas·ter · noun

Step 1 — Say it and write it

Say “disaster” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.

Step 2 — Know every meaning

Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.

1. (noun) An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.
2. (noun) An unfortunate or unpleasant occurrence, especially one resulting from an accident or something going wrong.
3. (noun) An wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.
4. (noun) A skateboard trick involving a 180-degree ollie, landing on the center of the board with the front trucks facing towards the ramp and the back trucks over the lip. The skater then leans forwards to return in the ramp.

Step 3 — Which meaning is it?

“People would suffer disasters when society's morality degenerates.”

A. An wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.
B. An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.
C. An unfortunate or unpleasant occurrence, especially one resulting from an accident or something going wrong.

Circle the meaning used.

“the cake was a disaster.”

A. A skateboard trick involving a 180-degree ollie, landing on the center of the board with the front trucks facing towards the ramp and the back trucks over the lip. The skater then leans forwards to return in the ramp.
B. An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.
C. An wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.

Circle the meaning used.

Step 4 — History and origin

Which language did “disaster” come into English from?   A. Medieval Latin  B. Ancient Greek  C. Middle French  D. Old Norse

Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):

Write three words built from “disaster” and what each means:

Step 5 — Original meaning

The earliest traceable form is Ancient Greek ἄστρον. What did it mean?

How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?

Step 6 — Use it yourself

Write a sentence using “disaster” to mean: An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.
Write a sentence using “disaster” to mean: An unfortunate or unpleasant occurrence, especially one resulting from an accident or something going wrong.
Write a sentence using “disaster” to mean: An wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.

☐ I can explain its meanings   ☐ I know its history   ☐ I know its original language   ☐ I know its original meaning   ☐ I can use it confidently

Answer key — disaster

Which meaning, sentence 1: B. An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment.

Which meaning, sentence 2: C. An wholly unsatisfactory result caused by something going wrong or being done poorly; a flop or failure.

Origin: C. Middle French (Middle French desastre)

Journey: English disaster ← Middle French desastre ← Italian disastro ← Italian dis- + astro ← Latin astrum ← Ancient Greek ἄστρον ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr

Some derivatives: blizzaster, disasterclass, disasterless, disasterly, disasteroid, disasterpiece, disastrophe, disastrous

Original meaning: Ancient Greek ἄστρον — “star”

Etymology: From Middle French desastre, from Italian disastro, from dis- + astro (“star”), from Latin astrum (“star”), from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.

Sources: Wiktionary “disaster” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disaster#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/disaster