holocaust

English Online Dictionary. What means holocaust‎? What does holocaust mean?

English

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English holocaust (“burnt offering”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman holocauste, Old French holocauste, olocauste (modern French holocaust), from Late Latin holocaustum, from Ancient Greek ὁλόκαυστον (holókauston), the neuter form of ὁλόκαυστος (holókaustos, “wholly burnt”), from ὅλος (hólos, “entire, whole”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole”)) + καυστός (kaustós, “burnt”) (from καίω (kaíō, “to burn, burn up”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂w-).

The verb is derived from the noun. As regards verb sense 3 (“to subject (a group of people) to a holocaust”), compare the use of genocide as a verb.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɒl.ə(ʊ)ˌkɔːst/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑl.əˌkɔst/, /ˈhoʊ.lə-/
• (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑl.əˌkɑst/, /ˈhoʊ.lə-/
• Hyphenation: ho‧lo‧caust

Noun

holocaust (plural holocausts)

1. (religion) An offering or sacrifice to a deity that is completely burned to ashes. [from 13th c.]

   Hypernym: burnt offering

   Coordinate term: moirocaust
2. (by extension)
   1. (religion, also figuratively) A complete or large offering or sacrifice.

      Synonym: hecatomb
   2. Complete destruction by fire; also, the thing so destroyed.
   3. (figuratively)
      1. Extensive destruction of a group of animals or (especially) people; a large-scale massacre or slaughter.
      2. Alternative letter-case form of Holocaust (“the systematic mass murder (democide or genocide) of Jews (and, more broadly, of disabled people, homosexuals, Romanis, Slavs, and others) perpetrated by Nazi Germany shortly before and during World War II”); hence, the state-sponsored mass murder of a particular group of people in society. [from 20th c.]

Usage notes

• According to the Oxford English Dictionary, use of the word Holocaust to refer to the mass murder of Jews by Nazi Germany dates back to 1942. By the 1970s, “the Holocaust” was often synonymous with the Jewish exterminations. This use of the term has been criticised because it appears to imply that there was a voluntary religious purpose behind the Nazi actions, which was not the case from either the perspective of the Nazis or the victims. Hence, some people prefer the term Shoah, which is Hebrew for “catastrophe”.
• The word continues to be used in its other senses. For example, part of the action of the BBC radio drama Earthsearch (1981) by the English author and screenwriter James Follett (1939–2021) takes place in “Holocaust City”, so named because the inhabitants were the only survivors of a global nuclear war. However, this usage is considered by some to be Holocaust trivialization and thus to be avoided.
• For more information on the use of the term Holocaust, see Holocaust.

Hyponyms

• animal holocaust
• homocaust
• nuclear holocaust

Derived terms

Related terms

• caustic
• holo-

Translations

See also

• ethnic cleansing
• pogrom

Verb

holocaust (third-person singular simple present holocausts, present participle holocausting, simple past and past participle holocausted) (transitive)

1. (religion, also figuratively) To sacrifice (chiefly an animal) to be completely burned.
2. To destroy (something) completely, especially by fire.
3. To subject (a group of people) to a holocaust (mass annihilation); to destroy en masse.

Translations

Notes

References

Further reading

• holocaust (sacrifice) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• The Holocaust on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• holocaust (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “holocaust”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “holocaust”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Czech

Alternative forms

• holokaust m

Noun

holocaust m inan

1. holocaust (the state-sponsored mass murder of an ethnic group)

Declension

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch holocaust, from Latin holocaustum, from the neuter of Ancient Greek ὁλόκαυστος (holókaustos). The shift to masculine was influenced by Middle French holocauste. The meaning “genocide” derives from English holocaust.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦɔ.loːˌkɑu̯st/
• Hyphenation: ho‧lo‧caust

Noun

holocaust m (plural holocausten)

1. holocaust, genocide
2. (dated) holocaust (complete burnt offering)

Related terms

• Holocaust

Old Spanish

Alternative forms

• olocaust (alternative spelling)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oloˈkaust/

Noun

holocaust m (plural holocaustos)

1. Apocopic form of holocausto, burnt offering
   • Idem, f. 76r.

Polish

Alternative forms

• holokaust

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin holocaustum, from Ancient Greek ὁλόκαυστος (holókaustos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xɔˈlɔ.kawst/
• Rhymes: -ɔkawst
• Syllabification: ho‧lo‧caust
• Homophones: Holocaust, Holokaust, holokaust

Noun

holocaust m inan

1. (biblical, historical, literary, religion) burnt offering, holocaust (slaughtered animal burnt on an altar)

   Synonym: całopalenie

2. (literary) holocaust (extensive destruction of a group of animals or people)

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

• holocaust in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• holocaust in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French holocauste.

Noun

holocaust n (plural holocausturi)

1. holocaust

Declension