n. 1. a. An occurrence causing widespread destruction and distress; a catastrophe. b. A grave misfortune. 2. Informal A total failure: The dinner party was a disaster. 3. Obsolete An evil influence of a star or planet. [French désastre, from Italian disastro : dis-, pejorative pref. (from Latin dis-; see DIS-) + astro, star (from Latin astrum, from Greek astron; see ster-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).] |
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