hecatomb
A great public sacrifice to the gods, originally of a hundred oxen; also, a great number of animals reserved for such a sacrifice.
historical
O be propitious, powerfull God of Arts, / I sheathe my weapons, and doe breake my darts, / Be then appeas'd, I'le offer to thy shrine, / An Heccatombe, of many spotted kine.
A great public sacrifice in other religions; also, a great number of animals or people reserved for such a sacrifice.
historical
The tutelary deity of the Aztecs was the god of war. The great object of their military expeditions was, to gather hecatombs of captives for his altars. The soldier, who fell in battle, was transported at once to the region of ineffable bliss in the bright mansions of the Sun.
A great number of animals, people, or things that are sacrificed or destroyed; any great sacrifice; also (generally), a large amount.
figuratively, literary
O hecatombe! O catastrophe! / From Mydas pompe to Irus beggery!
Where it comes from
The noun is a learned borrowing from Latin hecatombē (“great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb”), from Ancient Greek ἑκατόμβη (hekatómbē, “great sacrifice of a hundred oxen, hecatomb; any animal sacrifice or large sacrifice”, from ἑκᾰτόν (hekătón, “hundred”) + βοῦς (boûs, “cattle, cow, ox”)). The verb is derived from the noun.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry hecatomb (CC BY-SA 4.0).