hecatomb

1 9.9

A large public sacrifice of animals or a great loss of life

noun
/ˈhɛkəˌtoʊm/

Literature

: hecatombe

In ancient Greece, a great public sacrifice known as a hecatomb involved the slaughter of 100 oxen to please the gods.

Examples

The army's failed campaign resulted in a hecatomb of soldiers lost in battle, highlighting the dire consequences of war.
A hecatomb is, literally, a massive sacrifice involving the slaughter of 100 oxen—a reference to ancient Greek and Roman practices.

Academic text (1990)
During the festival, the mayor declared a hecatomb to commemorate the town's founders with a large public feast.

Synonyms

sacrifice

vshecatomb

NSFW

143 5.8

An act of killing an animal or person as an offering in a religious ceremony

is a large public ritual offering that involves mass slaughter

immolation

vshecatomb

NSFW

6 9.9

Killing a person or animal by burning to offer as a sacrifice

is a mass public ritual that usually involves slaughter rather than burning

bloodletting

vshecatomb

NSFW

4 9.3

A large-scale killing of people during war or political violence

is a ceremonial mass killing done as an offering rather than political violence

Antonyms

preservation

125 3.8

Keeping things safe and in good condition, for example food or buildings

salvation

73 5.7

Help that saves someone from danger or a very bad situation

How Massive

genocide

Offensive

157 7.7

hecatomb

Literature

1 9.9

massacre

Offensive

213 7.0

Surface Forms

hecatomb singular

hecatombs plural

Etymology

Hecatomb comes from old Greek words hekaton and bous, meaning 'hundred' and 'ox', because the ancient Greeks once offered about a hundred oxen in one great sacrifice. So, hecatomb now means a very large destruction or loss of life and is used as a strong image for massive disaster.