per the
Bible, the
place where the
final battle between the forces of good and
evil will take
place. Armageddon comes from the Hebrew
word Har-Megiddo, meaning "Hill of Megiddo," probably a
reference to the city of Megiddo in the mountains of
northern Israel, the site of many battles in Biblical
times. "Hill" is possibly a
reference to the hill on which the city fortress stood. Armageddon is also used to name the battle itself, which is predicted to be the
final, and completely destructive, conflict at the end of
world history. Thus it has also come to mean any "
final" battle on a large
scale; a widespread, totally destructive
war; a
vast conflict
marked by great slaughter and
destruction, usually so decisive that any renewed or further conflict is made impossible.