genocide

UK: ˈdʒen.ə.saɪd | US: ˈdʒen.ə.saɪd

Definition

  1. n. the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular nation or ethnic group.

Structure
geno <race, from Greek *genos*>cide <killing, from Latin *caedere*>
Etymology

The term "genocide" was coined in 1944 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin by combining the Greek word genos (meaning "race" or "tribe") and the Latin suffix -cide (from caedere, "to kill"). Lemkin created the word to describe the systematic destruction of ethnic or national groups, particularly in response to the Holocaust. The fusion of Greek and Latin elements reflects the word's academic and legal origins, emphasizing its gravity as a concept.

Examples

  1. The international community condemned the act as genocide.

  2. Survivors of the genocide shared their harrowing stories.

  3. The UN has strict laws to prevent genocide.

  4. Historians debate whether the event qualifies as genocide.

  5. The museum serves as a memorial to the victims of genocide.