Blitz

Meaning

The series of air raids launched on various cities in Great Britain by the German air force in 1940–41 during World War II.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/blɪts/

Etymology

Shortened from German Blitzkrieg (“blitzkrieg”, literally “lightning war”). The Blitz was in truth not a blitzkrieg, which is a rapid ground offensive based on superior tank forces. However, the word was current at the time for the successful German campaigns in Poland and France, and was transferred to the attacks on Britain, perhaps by association of Blitz (“lightning”) with the bombings.