genocide
pronunciation
How to pronounce genocide in British English:
UK [ˈdʒenəsaɪd]
How to pronounce genocide in American English:
US [ˈdʒɛnəˌsaɪd]
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- Noun:
- systematic killing of a racial or cultural group
Word Origin
- genocide
- genocide: see general
- genocide (n.)
- 1944, apparently coined by Polish-born U.S. jurist Raphael Lemkin (1900-1959) in his work "Axis Rule in Occupied Europe" [p.19], in reference to Nazi extermination of Jews, literally "killing a tribe," from Greek genos "race, kind" (see genus) + -cide. The proper formation would be *genticide. Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aimed at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. [Lemkin] Earlier in a similar sense was populicide (1799), from French populicide, by 1792, a word from the Revolution. This was taken into German, as in Völkermeuchelnden "genocidal" (Heine), which was Englished 1893 as folk-murdering. Ethnocide is attested from 1974 in English (1970 in French).
Example
- 1. The holocaust was the worst genocide in history .
- 2. Armenians say the mass extermination of their forebears was genocide .
- 3. They declared it genocide and did nothing .
- 4. Russia 's repeated accusations that georgia committed genocide were also false .
- 5. Tracking such data could identify groups at risk for future genocide .