Emily Dickinson Lexicon

calamity, n. [Fr. < L. 'damage, disaster, adversity'; perhaps a form of L. calamus, straw, corn stalk, as in damage to crops from hail, mildew.]

Catastrophe; devastation; tragedy; misery; misfortune; grievous trouble; destruction that causes distress; adverse events such as plagues, famines, earthquakes, or violent storms; (see Psalms 18:18).