holocaust
noun /ˈhɒləkɔːst/
/ˈhəʊləkɔːst/, /ˈhɑːləkɔːst/
- [countable] a situation in which many things are destroyed and many people killed, especially because of a war or a fire
- a nuclear holocaust
- the Holocaust[singular] the killing of millions of Jews by the German Nazi government in the period 1941–5
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French holocauste, via late Latin from Greek holokauston, from holos ‘whole’ + kaustos ‘burnt’ (from kaiein ‘burn’).