Onslaught

Onslaught

Noun · /ˈɒn.slɔːt/

Definition

A fierce or destructive attack; an overwhelmingly large amount of something that is difficult to handle or withstand; a powerful surge or assault.

Origin

From Dutch aanslag (an attack, a blow, a stroke: aan, on + slag, a blow, a stroke) — the same root as the German Anschlag (an attack, a notice, a placard — the broadening of the same concept). The Dutch aanslag was borrowed into English as onslaught in the seventeenth century, initially specifically for a military assault or attack. The extended modern sense — an onslaught of complaints, an onslaught of media attention, an onslaught of information — developing as the word moved from purely military to metaphorical use.