Where does “Holocaust” come from?
Holocaust comes from Middle English holocaust, from Anglo-Norman holocauste, from Late Latin holocaustum, from Ancient Greek ὁλόκαυστος, formed from ὅλος meaning whole and καίω meaning to burn.
Holocaust (English): Alternative letter-case form of holocaust
Definitions
- Alternative letter-case form of holocaust
Ancestry of “Holocaust”, step by step
Holocaust traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French holocauste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | holocauste | holocaust |
| 2 | Middle French | holocauste | — |
| 3 | Old French | olocauste | — |
| 4 | Latin | holocaustum | a burnt offering wholly consumed by fire;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὁλόκαυστος | wholly burnt |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ὅλος | whole, entire, perfect, complete; absolute,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | solh₂wós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sōlh₂- | mercy, comfort; comfort, mercy |
via Middle English holocaust
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | holocaust | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | holocauste | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | holocaustum | a burnt offering wholly consumed by fire;... |