Why “bouleversement” is a great word
A complete overthrow or reversal, especially of a political or social order; a state of violent turmoil or upheaval. From the French *bouleversement*, from the verb *bouleverser* ('to overturn, throw into confusion'), itself from *boulverser*, an alteration of Old French *bouleverser*, composed of *boule* ('ball') and *verser* ('to overturn, pour'), thus literally 'to overturn like a ball.' Unlike "upheaval," which can be geological or personal, or "reform," which suggests careful amendment, *bouleversement* implies a destructive, foundational unseating. It is the statue of the king facedown in the square, the archives burning in the ministry courtyard, and the old calendar replaced with Year One—the dizzying, violent spin history takes when the ball is finally set rolling down the hill.