holocaust Meaning, Definition & Usage
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noun an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire)
- a nuclear holocaust
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noun the mass murder of Jews under the German Nazi regime from 1941 until 1945
final solution.
WordNet
Hol"o*caust noun
Etymology
L.Definitions
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A burnt sacrifice; an offering, the whole of which was consumed by fire, among the Jews and some pagan nations. Milton. -
Sacrifice or loss of many lives, as by the burning of a theater or a ship. An extended use not authorized by careful writers.