earthquake: Meaning and Definition of

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.
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