Looking up...
A sudden violent shaking of the ground, typically causing great destruction, as a result of movements within the earth's crust or volcanic action.
Dopo il sisma, i soccorritori hanno iniziato le operazioni di ricerca.
After the earthquake, rescuers began search operations.
Il sisma del 2016 in Italia ha causato ingenti danni.
The 2016 earthquake in Italy caused extensive damage.
In geological contexts, 'sisma' is often used interchangeably with 'terremoto', though 'terremoto' is more common in everyday speech.
'Sisma' is preferred in formal, technical, or scientific contexts (e.g., reports, news articles, geological studies). 'Terremoto' is more common in casual speech and everyday conversation.
From Latin 'seismus', from Greek 'seismós' (σεισμός), meaning 'earthquake', derived from 'seíō' (σειω), 'to shake'.
In Italian, 'sisma' is a more technical term often used in scientific or formal contexts, while 'terremoto' is the everyday word for earthquake. The plural form is 'sismi'.