an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster 灾祸;灾难 ■[mass noun]disaster and distress 灾难;祸患;痛苦;不幸 the journey had led to calamity and ruin. 这次旅行导致了灾难和毁灭。
派生 calamitous adjective calamitously adverb 语源
late Middle English (in the sense 'disaster and distress'): from Old French calamite, from Latin calamitas