Hecatombes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large-scale sacrifice of animals, typically in ancient rituals, to appease deities or celebrate an event
2. An offering of a hundred cattle or equivalent livestock in the context of religious ceremonies
3. A massive slaughter or sacrifice, especially one involving numerous victims in cultural or historical practices

Etymology: Ancient Greek religion had a sacrifice of a hundred oxen, and the word for it, "hekatomba," is built from "hekaton," meaning "hundred," and "bous," meaning "ox," so the literal sense is "hundred-ox." Greek writers used it of grand public offerings, such as the one Homer's heroes make to the gods, and it was the sort of sacrifice a city might stage to mark a great occasion. English took the word from Latin, where "hecatombe" carried the same meaning, and it reached English as "hecatombe" in the sense of a sacrificial offering. Over time the meaning widened. Because a hundred animals suggested a huge number, English speakers began using "hecatomb" for any large-scale slaughter or destruction, especially a catastrophic loss of life, and that figurative use now dominates. The plural "hecatombes" is simply the English plural of the noun, formed with the regular "-es" ending that the Latin-derived word has taken on in English. Its sense is the same as the singular, referring to more than one such offering or catastrophe.