hecatombPronunciation: /ˈhɛkətuːm/Definition of hecatomb noun (in ancient Greece or Rome) a great public sacrifice, originally of a hundred oxen. an extensive loss of life for a particular cause: they perished in the hecatomb arranged by the governmentOrigin: late 16th century: via Latin from Greek hekatombē (from hekaton 'hundred' + bous 'ox')hecatomb in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of hecatomb in the US English dictionary
