bouleversement

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The Word of the Day for October 20 is:

bouleversement   \bool-vair-suh-MAHNG (the "NG" is not pronounced, but the 
vowel is nasalized)\   noun
    *1 : reversal
     2 : a violent disturbance : disorder

Example sentence: 
     The economist pointed out that, in a bouleversement of housing trends, 
more people are purchasing homes now, whereas rentals have dropped off.

Did you know?
     English picked up "bouleversement" from French in the latter part of the 
18th century (it ultimately traces to Middle French "boule," meaning "ball," 
and "verser," meaning "to overturn"), and while not very common, it has 
steadily remained in use since that time. F. Scott Fitzgerald, for one, used it 
in his 1920 novel _This Side of Paradise_: "For the second time in his life 
Amory had had a complete bouleversement and was hurrying into line with his 
generation." Both Fitzgerald's use and our own example sentence suggest the 
idea of turning something around, but some usage of "bouleversement" dispenses 
with this notion and instead implies a general kind of upheaval or dramatic 
change, as in a revolution.