Why is the holocaust called what it is?

What's in a name? When it comes to remembering the millions of victims of the Nazi quest to “purify” Germany during World War II, names are often all that remain. So why do we call the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews and millions of others “The Holocaust”? This usage came about gradually. read more

Ah, yes. As you can see from Wikipedia's entry on The Holocaust, The term holocaust comes from the Greek word holókauston, referring to an animal sacrifice offered to a god in which the whole (olos) animal is completely burnt (kaustos). read more

Jews call it the Shoah (calamity). They will also call it The Final Solution, in reference to what the Nazis called it - "Die Endlösung der Judenfrage". Holocaust is from the Greek term for a Jewish burnt offering - typically an animal sacrifice. It later became used to describe a massacre of Jews. read more