debacle

de·ba·cle

 (dĭ-bä′kəl, -băk′əl, dĕb′ə-kəl)

n.

1. A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout.

2. A total, often ludicrous failure.

3. The breaking up of ice in a river.

4. A violent flood.

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[French débâcle, from débâcler, to unbar, from Old French desbacler : des-, de- + bacler, to bar (from Vulgar Latin *bacculāre, from Latin baculum, rod; see bak- in Indo-European roots).]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

debacle

(deɪˈbɑːkəl; dɪ-)

n

1. (Military) a sudden disastrous collapse or defeat, esp one involving a disorderly retreat; rout

2. (Environmental Science) the breaking up of ice in a river during spring or summer, often causing flooding

3. (Environmental Science) a violent rush of water carrying along debris

[C19: from French débâcle, from Old French desbacler to unbolt, ultimately from Latin baculum rod, staff]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

de•ba•cle

(dəˈbɑ kəl, -ˈbæk əl, deɪ-)

n.

1. a disaster or fiasco.

2. a general rout or dispersal of troops.

3. a breaking up of ice in a river.

[1795–1805; < French débâcle, derivative of débâcler to unbar, clear =dé- dis-¹ + bâcler to bar « Latin baculum stick, rod]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

debacle

- Comes from French debacler, "to unbar, free," with the root sense being "to shatter with one's rod"; its original meaning was "a breaking-up of ice in a river" or a "sudden flood or rush of water carrying debris."

See also related terms for rush.

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

Debacle

 a confused rush or route; a violent rush of water.

Example: a debacle of water, 1823.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	debacle - a sudden and violent collapse fiasco collapse - a natural event caused by something suddenly falling down or caving in; "the roof is in danger of collapse"; "the collapse of the old star under its own gravity"
	2.	debacle - flooding caused by a tumultuous breakup of ice in a river during the spring or summer flood, inundation, alluvion, deluge - the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land; "plains fertilized by annual inundations"
	3.	debacle - a sound defeat       thrashing, trouncing, walloping, drubbing, slaughter, whipping defeat, licking - an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest; "it was a narrow defeat"; "the army's only defeat"; "they suffered a convincing licking"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

debacle

débâcle

noun disaster, catastrophe, fiasco the convention was a debacle

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

debacle

noun

An abrupt disastrous failure:

breakdown, collapse, crash, smash, smashup, wreck.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

Debakel

πανωλεθρίαφιάσκο

epäonnistuminenfiaskolaukeaminen

débâclefiasco

bacled

debacle

debacle

débâcle [deɪˈbɑːkl] N → debacle f, desastre m (Mil) → derrota f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

debacle

[deɪˈbɑːk^əl dɪˈbɑːk^əl] n

(British) (= fiasco) → fiasco m

(= military disaster) → débâcle f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

débâcle

n → Debakel nt → (over bei)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

debacle

[deɪˈbɑːkl] n → disastro; (defeat) → disfatta; (collapse) → sfacelo

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995