French Conversation · Level 5
90 words
French word
génocide
Pronunciation
IPA/ʒenosid/
Meaning
- masculine noungenocide
Example
Le génocide a choqué le monde.
The genocide shocked the world.
More examples
Les victimes du génocide attendent réparation.
The victims of the genocide await reparations.
Core concept
A population marked for destruction because it belongs to a particular group.
Common phrases
victimes du génocide
victims of the genocide
loi contre le génocide
law against genocide
Similar words
massacre: A violent mass killing in which many people die at the same time.
tuerie: A mass-killing incident involving many victims.
épuration ethnique: The removal or killing of an ethnic or religious population to erase its presence from an area.
crime contre l'humanité: A grave international-law offense involving widespread or systematic attacks on civilians.
Definition in French
Terme désignant l'extermination massive et systématique d'un groupe humain identifiable, commise dans l'intention de le détruire en tout ou en partie.
Word origin
The French noun comes from Lemkin's 1944 coinage, built from Greek genos for a people or group and the Latin-derived element -cide for killing.
Usage tips
- Unlike massacre or tuerie, génocide highlights an intent to destroy an identifiable group, not merely a large number of deaths.
Opposites
- paixpeacenoun
Related words
- génocidairegenocidaladjective