Apocalypse
/əˈpɒk.ə.lɪps/noun
An event involving destruction and the end of the world, or a great revelation.
Did you know?The word entered English through Greek apokálypsis, a term for disclosure or unveiling, and its apocalyptic doom meaning came later through the Book of Revelation’s cosmic imagery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to cover, conceal”
Ancient Greek
Greek
apokálypsis (ἀποκάλυψις)
“an uncovering, disclosure, revelation”
Late Latin
Latin
apocalypsis
“revelation, unveiling”
Old French
Old French
apocalipse
“the Book of Revelation; revelation”
Middle English
English
apocalipse
“revelation, especially the biblical Revelation”
Modern English
English
apocalypse
“a catastrophic end-time event; a revelation”