different between lethal vs disastrous

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?li?.??l/
• Rhymes: -i???l

Etymology 1

From Latin l?t?lis (“mortal, deadly”), improperly written l?th?lis, from l?tum (“death”), improperly written as l?thum, as associated with Ancient Greek ???? (l?th?, “forgetfulness”).

Adjective

lethal (comparative more lethal, superlative most lethal)

1. Deadly; mortal; fatal.

Related terms

• lethality
• semilethal

Translations

Noun

lethal (plural lethals)

1. Any weapon that causes death.

   Antonym: non-lethal

2. (genetics) An allele that causes the death of the organism that carries it.

Etymology 2

Abbreviation of “lauric acid ethereal salt”, so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

Noun

lethal (uncountable)

1. (chemistry) One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid.

Translations

Further reading

• lethal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• lethal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Etymology

From French désastreux, from Middle French desastre (“disaster”) (modern désastre), from Italian disastro, itself from dis- (“away, without”) (from Latin) + astro (“star, planet”) (from Latin astrum 'star, celestial body', from Ancient Greek (astron)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /d??z??st??s/

Adjective

disastrous (comparative more disastrous, superlative most disastrous)

1. Of the nature of a disaster; calamitous.
2. Foreboding disaster; ill-omened.

Synonyms

• (calamitous): cataclysmic, catastrophic
• (ill-omened): ill-boding, inauspicious, sinister

Antonyms

• auspicious
• fortunate

Derived terms

• disastrously

Translations