Dictionary
earth•quake
Pronunciation: (ûrth'kwāk"), [key]—
n.
1. a series of vibrations induced in the earth's crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating.
2. something that is severely disruptive; upheaval.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.