From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishholocausthol‧o‧caust /ˈhɒləkɔːst $ ˈhɑːləkɒːst/ noun [countable] 1 DISASTERa situation in which there is great destruction and a lot of people die a nuclear holocaust2 → the Holocaust
Examples from the Corpus
holocaust• He realized that the world had changed and that each side was capable of destroying the other in a nuclear holocaust.• Dance music that might survive a nuclear holocaust.• Nuclear deterrence becomes nuclear holocaust when local wars get out of hand.• On the following day Walesa visited the Yad Veshem memorial to the victims of the holocaust.• In the final play Freedom to Party the holocaust is over, but the battles remain.Origin holocaust (1200-1300) Old French holocauste, from Greek holokaustos “burnt whole”, from holos “whole” + kaiein “to burn” 