Kristallnacht

German

Etymology

From Kristall (“crystal”) +‎ Nacht (“night”), alluding to the crystals of broken glass from the destroyed shop and synagogue windows.

Noun

Kristallnacht

(historical) the night of November 9–10, 1938, when a state-organized night of terror was staged against Jews in Germany and Austria

Usage notes

The term may be regarded as a euphemism and Reichspogromnacht (literally “Reich's Pogrom Night”) may be used instead.

Synonyms

See also

Schicksalstag
Nacht der langen Messer

Further reading

Kristallnacht in Duden online

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.