Genocide
/ˈdʒɛn.əˌsaɪd/noun
The deliberate and systematic extermination of a particular group of people.
Did you know?The term 'genocide' was coined in 1944 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, who sought to describe the heinous acts against the Jewish people during the Holocaust.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gene-
“to give birth or produce, suggesting the creation of life.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γεννάω (gennáo)
“to beget or produce, related to the concept of lineage.”
Latin
Latin
genus
“kind or race, referring to categorization of living entities.”
1940s
Modern English
genocide
“a term combining 'genus' (race) and 'cide' (killing), describing the systematic extermination of a people.”