Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CA-LAM'I-TOUS, a. [Fr. calamiteux. See Calamity.]

1. Very miserable; involved in deep distress; oppressed with infelicity; wretched from misfortune; applied to men. – Johnson. Calamy.
2. Producing distress and misery; making wretched; applied to external circumstances; as, a calamitous event. – Milton.
3. Full of misery; distressful; wretched; applied to state or condition. – South.