Lewis & Short

călămĭtas, ātis, f. [cf. in columis].

  1. I. Lit., loss, injury, damage, mischief, harm: sed ecca ipsa egreditur, nostri fundi calamitas (Ter. Eun. 1, 1, 34). Proprie calamitatem rustici grandinem dicunt, Don.; cf. the same on Ter Heaut. 2, 4, 15: robigo genus est vitii, quo culmi pereunt, quod a rusticanis calamitas dicitur, Serv ad Verg. G. 1, 151: postquam calamitas plures annos arvas calvitur, Pac. ap. Non. p. 192, 30; Plaut. Cas. 5, 2, 34; id. Capt. 4, 3, 4: non ut legatus populi Romani, sed ut quaedam calamitas pervadere videretur, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 17, § 44 (cf. calamitosus, I A.): in calamitate fructuum, in the failure, id. ib. 2, 3, 98, § 227: gregem afficere magnā calamitate, Varr. R. R. 2, 1, 27.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. A. In gen., loss, misfortune, mishap, injury, calamity, disaster, ruin, adversity (freq. in class. prose and in iambic verse; excluded from hexameters by the measure): quanta, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 101: ita eam oppressit calamitas, Ter. Hec. prol. 22 (30): nova, Cic. Agr. 2, 3, 8: videbam, perniciem meam cum magnā calamitate rei publicae esse conjunctam, id. Cat. 1, 5, 11: aliis cau-sam calamitatis attribuere, id. Verr. 2, 5, 41, § 106: calamitatem capere, id. Div. 1, 16: in calamitate esse, distress, Sall. C. 44, 5: calamitates perferre, Caes. B. G. 3, 19: tolerare, Cic. Att. 3, 14, 2: ferre, Nep. Timol. 4, 1; cf.: calamitates ferre, id. Ham. 1, 3: calamitate prohibere aliquem, Cic. Imp. Pomp. 7, 18: ignominiam et calamitatem in domum referre, id. Off. 1, 39, 138; Phaedr. 1, 3 fin.; cf. id. 3, prol. 40: calamitates publicae, Suet. Calig. 31; Col. 1, 3, 7.
    2. B. In the histt. esp., the misfortunes of war, disaster, defeat: magnam inde calamitatem pulsos accepisse; quibus proeliis calamitatibusque fractos, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 31: magna clades atque calamitas rempublicam oppressisset, Sall. C. 39, 4: accipere, Nep. Con. 1, 3: accidit illa calamitas apud Leuctra, id. Ages. 6, 1: calamitates belli ferre, id. Hann. 1, 3: calamitatem inferre alicui, Caes. B. G. 1, 12.
      Hence opp. to victoria, Suet. Caes. 60.
  3. III. Transf.: hostium adversus calamitates contendere, against the prostrate enemy, Just. 11, 12, 13.