11 letters · 18 points in Scrabble
noun an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
noun a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
noun a sudden violent change in the earth's surface
originFrom Ancient Greek καταστροφή (katastrophḗ), from καταστρέφω (katastréphō, “to overturn”), from κατά (katá, “down, against”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0