Definition of "catastrophism" [ca•tas•tro•phism]

• Geology The doctrine that major changes in the earth's crust result from catastrophes rather than evolutionary processes. (noun)
• The prediction or expectation of cataclysmic upheaval, as in political or social developments. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "For the idea of catastrophism had not concerned the destruction of species merely, but their introduction as well."
• "Under this topic we can also treat two terms from geology, namely catastrophism and uniformitarianism."
• "Retailing | Matt Maxwell looks at catastrophism and the comics market."