hecatomb

noun

hec·​a·​tomb ˈhe-kə-ˌtōm How to pronounce hecatomb (audio)
1
: an ancient Greek and Roman sacrifice of 100 oxen or cattle
2
: the sacrifice or slaughter of many victims

Examples of hecatomb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And if, as Gawande suggests, an individual surgeon’s expertise proceeds by means of a calculated willingness to make mistakes, then the profession marches forward only by trampling over a hecatomb of nameless victims. Will Self, Harper’s Magazine , 28 Sep. 2022 The vast majority of this hecatomb would be people with limited life expectancies. John P.a. Ioannidis, STAT, 17 Mar. 2020 After the hecatombs created in communism’s name, such a call to arms is evidence of a faith untroubled when prophecy fails again and again. Andrew Stuttaford, WSJ, 29 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Latin hecatombe, from Greek hekatombē, from hekaton hundred + -bē; akin to Greek bous cow — more at hundred, cow

First Known Use

circa 1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hecatomb was circa 1592

Dictionary Entries Near hecatomb

Cite this Entry

“Hecatomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hecatomb. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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