hecatomb

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈhɛkəˌtəʊm/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(hekə tōm′, -to̅o̅m′)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
hec•a•tomb  (hekə tōm′, -to̅o̅m′),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. (in ancient Greece and Rome) a public sacrifice of 100 oxen to the gods.
  2. any great slaughter:the hecatombs of modern wars.
  • *hekatombwā, equivalent. to hékaton one hundred + *-bwā, taken to be a derivative of boûs ox (see cow1)
  • Greek hekatómbē
  • Latin hecatombē
  • 1585–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
hecatomb / ˈhɛkəˌtəʊm -ˌtuːm/
  1. (in ancient Greece or Rome) any great public sacrifice and feast, originally one in which 100 oxen were sacrificed
  2. a great sacrifice
Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin hecatombē, from Greek hekatombē, from hekaton hundred + bous ox

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