pogrom

¹po·grom

noun \ˈpō-grəm, ˈpä-; pō-ˈgräm, pə-\

Definition of POGROM

: an organized massacre of helpless people; specifically : such a massacre of Jews

Origin of POGROM

Yiddish, from Russian, literally, devastation

First Known Use: 1903

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with POGROM

A-bomb, aplomb, ashram, bee balm, buzz bomb, car bomb, Ceram, cheongsam, coulomb, Coulomb, dive-bomb, dot-com, EPROM, firebomb, grande dame, H-bomb, imam, Islam, Long Tom, napalm, nizam, noncom, oil palm, phenom, pom-pom, réclame, rhabdom, salaam, sitcom, skip bomb, Songnam, stink bomb, tam-tam, therefrom, time bomb, tom-tom, wax palm, wherefrom, wigwam

²pogrom

transitive verb

Definition of POGROM

: to massacre or destroy in a pogrom

First Known Use of POGROM

1915

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

Rhymes with POGROM

grogram

pogrom

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Mob attack, condoned by authorities, against persons and property of a religious, racial, or national minority. The term is usually applied to attacks on Jews in Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II (1881), false rumours associating Jews with the murder aroused Russian mobs in more than 200 cities and towns to attack Jews and destroy their property. Mob attacks diminished in the 1890s, but they again became common in 1903–06. Although the government did not organize pogroms, its anti-Semitic policy (1881–1917) and reluctance to stop the attacks led many anti-Semites to believe that their violence was legitimate. Pogroms also occurred in Poland and in Germany during Adolf Hitler's regime.