What does earthquake mean?

Definitions for earthquake
ˈɜrθˌkweɪkearth·quake

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word earthquake.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. earthquake, quake, temblor, seismnoun

    shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity

  2. earthquakenoun

    a disturbance that is extremely disruptive

    "selling the company caused an earthquake among the employees"

Wiktionary

  1. earthquakenoun

    A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.

  2. Etymology: ertheqwake, corresponding to.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Earthquakenoun

    Tremor or convulsion of the earth.

    Etymology: earth and quake.

    This subterranean heat or fire being in any part of the earth stopt, by some accidental glut or obstruction in the passages through which it used to ascend, and being preternaturally assembled in greater quantity into one place, causes a great rarefaction and intumescence of the water of the abyss, putting it into very great commotions; and making the like effort upon the earth, expanded upon the face of the abyss, occasions that agitation and concussion which we call an earthquake. John Woodward, Natural History.

    These tumults were like an earthquake, shaking the very foundations of all, than which nothing in the world hath more of horrour. Charles I .

    Was it his youth, his valour, or success,
    These might perhaps be found in other men:
    ’Twas that respect, that awful homage paid me;
    That fearful love which trembled in his eyes,
    And with a silent earthquake shook his soul. John Dryden, Sp. Fryar.

    The country, by reason of its vast caverns and subterraneous fires, has been miserably torn by earthquakes, so that the whole face of it is quite changed. Joseph Addison, Remarks on Italy.

Wikipedia

  1. Earthquake

    An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those that are so weak that they cannot be felt, to those violent enough to propel objects and people into the air, damage critical infrastructure, and wreak destruction across entire cities. The seismic activity of an area is the frequency, type, and size of earthquakes experienced over a particular time period. The seismicity at a particular location in the Earth is the average rate of seismic energy release per unit volume. The word tremor is also used for non-earthquake seismic rumbling. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and displacing or disrupting the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides. In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event—whether natural or caused by humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its hypocenter or focus. The epicenter is the point at ground level directly above the hypocenter.

ChatGPT

  1. earthquake

    An earthquake is a natural phenomenon and a sudden shaking or trembling of the ground caused by the movement of tectonic plates beneath the Earth's surface. This movement releases energy in the form of seismic waves, which can result in significant ground shaking and surface rupture, potentially causing considerable damage to natural landscapes and built environments. Earthquakes can also trigger other hazardous events, such as tsunamis and landslides.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Earthquakenoun

    a shaking, trembling, or concussion of the earth, due to subterranean causes, often accompanied by a rumbling noise. The wave of shock sometimes traverses half a hemisphere, destroying cities and many thousand lives; -- called also earthdin, earthquave, and earthshock

  2. Earthquakeadjective

    like, or characteristic of, an earthquake; loud; starling

Wikidata

  1. Earthquake

    An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. Earthquakes are measured using observations from seismometers. The moment magnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately 5 are reported for the entire globe. The more numerous earthquakes smaller than magnitude 5 reported by national seismological observatories are measured mostly on the local magnitude scale, also referred to as the Richter scale. These two scales are numerically similar over their range of validity. Magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes are mostly almost imperceptible or weak and magnitude 7 and over potentially cause serious damage over larger areas, depending on their depth. The largest earthquakes in historic times have been of magnitude slightly over 9, although there is no limit to the possible magnitude. The most recent large earthquake of magnitude 9.0 or larger was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan in 2011, and it was the largest Japanese earthquake since records began. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale. The shallower an earthquake, the more damage to structures it causes, all else being equal.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of earthquake in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of earthquake in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of earthquake in a Sentence

  1. Richard Allen:

    The idea is if we can harness the accelerometers in those smart phones then we can collect massive amounts of data. It could really revolutionize how we understand earthquakes and earthquake effects.

  2. Gerasimos Papadopoulos:

    It had a very shallow depth and thats why it was felt so strongly, it is too early to say whether this was the main earthquake, but there have been aftershocks of magnitude 3.5, 2.5 and 3.2 and that is encouraging. But we need more time and data to have a clear picture.

  3. Sita Karki:

    When the earthquake hit, a wall fell on me and knocked me down. My legs are broken.

  4. Gul Hammad Farooqi:

    I was thrown from one side of the road to the other by the strength of the earthquake. I’ve never experienced anything like it, there is a great deal of destruction here, and my house has collapsed, but thankfully my children and I escaped.

  5. Wash Westmoreland:

    When I started reading Susanna Jones' brilliant novel I just fell into it, just the psychology was so fascinating and the story's so unexpected and I felt, 'Aha, I can use this to make a neo-noir,' earthquake Bird.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for earthquake

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"earthquake." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/earthquake>.

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