hecatomb

/ˈhɛkətuːm/

Etymology

The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin hecatombē (“great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb”), from Ancient Greek ἑκατόμβη (hekatómbē, “great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb; any animal sacrifice or large sacrifice”, from ἑκᾰτόν (hekătón, “hundred”) + βοῦς (boûs, “cattle, cow, ox”)). The verb is derived from the noun.

Why this word is great

HECATOMB — [Noun] A great public sacrifice, originally of a hundred oxen, or any large-scale sacrifice or destruction. From Latin hecatombē, from Ancient Greek ἑκατόμβη (hekatómbē), from ἑκᾰτόν (hekatón, "hundred") + βοῦς (boûs, "cattle, cow, ox"), it is the arithmetic of devotion, the calculus of appeasement. Unlike "holocaust" (which evokes indiscriminate annihilation) or "offering" (which suggests a modest gesture), a hecatomb is deliberate, ceremonial, and vast—a transaction with the divine on an industrial scale. It is the acrid smoke of a hundred burning carcasses blackening the sky, the rhythmic chanting of priests drowning out the lowing of doomed beasts, the slick of blood pooling between temple stones—proof that even the gods demand payment in bulk.

noun

A great public sacrifice to the gods, originally of a hundred oxen; also, a great number of animals reserved for such a sacrifice.“O be propitious, powerfull God of Arts, / I sheathe my weapons, and doe breake my darts, / Be then appeas'd, I'le offer to thy shrine, / An Heccatombe, of many spotted kine.”
A great public sacrifice in other religions; also, a great number of animals or people reserved for such a sacrifice.“The tutelary deity of the Aztecs was the god of war. The great object of their military expeditions was, to gather hecatombs of captives for his altars. The soldier, who fell in battle, was transported at once to the region of ineffable bliss in the bright mansions of the Sun.”
A great number of animals, people, or things that are sacrificed or destroyed; any great sacrifice; also (generally), a large amount.“O hecatombe! O catastrophe! / From Mydas pompe to Irus beggery!”

verb

To provide (someone or something) with a hecatomb.