ethnic cleansing

Meaning

The mass expulsion or killing of people belonging to one ethnic group by those of another.

Synonyms

genocide

ethnic purification

Translations

épuration ethnique

nettoyage ethnique

pulizia etnica

limpieza étnica

ethnische Säuberung

limpeza étnica

etnische zuivering

purification ethnique

εθνοκάθαρση

neteja ètnica

etnik temizlik

εθνική εκκαθάριση

تَطْهِير عِرْقِيّ

purificação étnica

Etymology

Cognate with Romanian: purificare etnică

In summary

Possibly a calque of Serbo-Croatian etničko čišćenje, though this is probably attested later. Popularized by (and still often associated with) the wars in former Yugoslavia during the 1990s; however, versions of the phrase have been attested since the 1860s in various languages (with the earliest attestation translating directly to the phrase being Romanian purificare etnică from 1941) and it probably arose independently on numerous occasions.