la

feminine

/ka.ta.stʁɔf/

#3175 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

catastrophe, disaster

Word origin

From Greek katastrophe ('an overturning, a sudden end'), formed from kata- ('down') and strephein ('to turn'). English catastrophic and strophe share the same Greek root.

Origin: Greek
Root: katastrophe
English cognates: catastrophic, strophe

Grammar

Genderfeminine

Pluralcatastrophes

Examples

L'inondation .

The flood was a real catastrophe for the region.

dramatise , ' .

Don't be so dramatic, it isn't a disaster.

craignent climatique.

Scientists fear a climate catastrophe.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common French words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

French vocabulary by CEFR level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

French learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

French · Free printables

catastrophe: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "catastrophe" (catastrophe, disaster): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson .