The word debacle has a long and complicated history. Originally from the Greek báktron (from which we also get the word bacteria), which means “stick,” it comes into Latin as baculum and refers to a walking staff or a cane. From there, we get the French débâcler, “to clear.” This comes into English as debacle, an ecological term describing the violent flood resulting from ice breaking up. Considering violent floods are generally a bad thing, this eventually became the modern definition, “a great disaster, a complete failure, or a fiasco.
Yankees 2023 Roster Report Card: Carlos Rodón
