> Extensive destruction of a group of animals or (especially) people; a large-scale massacre or slaughter.
However it's discussed if "Holocaust" is a good term to describe the Shoah:
> This use of the term has been criticised because it appears to imply that there was a voluntary religious purpose behind the Nazi actions
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/holocaust
> Extensive destruction of a group of animals or (especially) people; a large-scale massacre or slaughter.
However it's discussed if "Holocaust" is a good term to describe the Shoah:
> This use of the term has been criticised because it appears to imply that there was a voluntary religious purpose behind the Nazi actions
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/holocaust