Earthquake (noun)

1. A sudden and violent shaking of the ground, caused by the movement of tectonic plates.
2. A natural disaster caused by such a shaking.

Origin:

From middle english erthquake, from old english eorðquæke ("earthquake"), from eorð ("earth") + quæke ("shake").

Examples:

1. There was an earthquake in the city.
2. The earthquake damaged many buildings.
3. The earthquake was caused by a movement in the tectonic plates.
4. The earthquake caused a tsunami.
5. The survivors of the earthquake were left homeless.