catastrophe

  1. Noun.  Any large and disastrous event of great significance.
  2. Noun.  (context, insurance) A disaster beyond expectations.
  3. Noun.  (narratology) The dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot in a tragedy.
  4. Noun.  (mathematics) A type of bifurcation, where a system shifts between two stable states.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.