Holocaust
English Meaning
A burnt sacrifice; an offering, the whole of which was consumed by fire, among the Jews and some pagan nations.
- Great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire.
- The genocide of European Jews and others by the Nazis during World War II: "Israel emerged from the Holocaust and is defined in relation to that catastrophe” ( Emanuel Litvinoff).
- A massive slaughter: "an important document in the so-far sketchy annals of the Cambodian holocaust” ( Rod Nordland).
- A sacrificial offering that is consumed entirely by flames.