Auschwitz

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Auschwitz, the German name for the town known in Polish as Oświęcim, which the concentration camp was near.

Old Market Square in Oświęcim.

The main entrance to extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊʃ.vɪts/, /ˈaʊʃ.wɪts/, /ˈaʊʃ.ə.vɪts/, /ˈɔːʃ.wɪts/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Auschwitz

1. A city in Poland, also called Oświęcim.
2. A former concentration camp in what is now Poland; used metonymically for Nazi evil, the Holocaust.
   • 2025 May 5, “Barstool Sports founder retracts Auschwitz tour offer to customer in antisemitic sign incident”, in Associated Press‎^[1]:

     Portnoy said in posts on social media that in an initial conversation Sunday the customer took 100% responsibility for his actions with his friend and agreed to take a learning trip to Auschwitz in Poland.

Derived terms

• Alligator Auschwitz

Translations

city in Poland

• Arabic: أوشڤيينتشيم f (ʔošviyentšīm), أوشفينتشيم (ʔošvintšīm)
• Armenian: Օսվենցիմ (Ōsvencʻim)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 奧斯威辛 / 奥斯威辛 (zh) (Àosīwēixīn)

• Czech: Osvětim (cs) m
• Esperanto: Osviecimo
• French: Auschwitz (fr) m, Oświęcim (fr) m
• German: Auschwitz (de) n, Oświęcim (de) n
• Greek: Οσβιέτσιμ n (Osviétsim), Οσφιέντσιμ n (Osfiéntsim)
• Hebrew: אושוויץ (áushvits), אושוויינצ׳ים f (oshvéinchim)
• Japanese: アウシュヴィッツ (Aushuvittsu), アウシュビッツ (Aushubittsu), オシフィエンチム (Oshifienchimu)
• Korean: 아우슈비츠 (Ausyubicheu), 오시비엥침 (Osibiengchim)
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} آشویتس (âšvits)
• Polish: Oświęcim (pl) m
• Portuguese: Auschwitz f
• Russian: Осве́нцим (ru) m (Osvéncim)
• Silesian: Uośwjyńćim m pl
• Slovak: Osvienčim m
• Spanish: Auschwitz m
• Swedish: Auschwitz (sv)
• Thai: ^{(please verify)} เอาสชวิทซ์ (ao-swí)
• Yiddish: אָשפּיצין (oshpitsin), אוישוויץ (oyshvits)

concentration camp

• Arabic: أوشڤيتس f (ʔawšvits), أوشفيتز
• Armenian: Օսվենցիմ (Ōsvencʻim)
• Bengali: অশউইৎজ (ôśuitj)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 奧斯威辛 / 奥斯威辛 (zh) (Àosīwēixīn)

• Czech: Auschwitz m, Osvětim (cs) m
• Esperanto: Aŭŝvico
• French: Auschwitz (fr) m
• German: Auschwitz (de) n
• Greek: Άουσβιτς (el) n (Áousvits)
• Haitian Creole: Ochwits
• Hebrew: אושוויץ m
• Japanese: アウシュヴィッツ (Aushuvittsu)
• Korean: 아우슈비츠 (Ausyubicheu)
• Persian: آشویتس
• Polish: Auschwitz (pl) m, Auschwitz-Birkenau (pl) m
• Portuguese: Auschwitz m
• Russian: Осве́нцим (ru) m (Osvéncim), А́ушвиц m (Áušvic)
• Silesian: Uośwjyńćim m pl
• Spanish: Auschwitz m
• Swedish: Auschwitz (sv)
• Thai: เอาสชวิทซ์ (ao-swí)
• Yiddish: אוישוויץ (oyshvits)

German

Etymology

Phonetic adaptation of Polish Oświęcim.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaʊ̯ʃvɪts/, [ˈʔaʊ̯ʃ.vɪt͡s], [ʔaʊ̯.ʃʋɪt͡s]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Proper noun

Auschwitz n (proper noun, genitive Auschwitz' or (with an article) Auschwitz)

1. (slightly dated) Oświęcim, Auschwitz (a town in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland)

   Synonyms: Oswiecim, Oświęcim

2. the World War II concentration camp located nearby

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from German Auschwitz, from Polish Oświęcim. Doublet of Oświęcim.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaw.ʂfit͡s/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awʂfit͡s
• Syllabification: Au‧schwitz

Proper noun

Auschwitz m inan (indeclinable)

1. (historical, Nazism, World War II) Auschwitz (concentration camp)

Declension

Indeclinable

or

Declension of Auschwitz

	singular
nominative	Auschwitz
genitive	Auschwitzu
dative	Auschwitzowi
accusative	Auschwitz
instrumental	Auschwitzem
locative	Auschwitzu
vocative	Auschwitzu

Derived terms

• Auschwitz-Birkenau

Further reading

• Auschwitz in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Proper noun

Auschwitz ?

1. Auschwitz, Oświęcim (a town in Lesser Poland, Poland)

Proper noun

Auschwitz ?

1. Auschwitz (Nazi concentration camp in the town of Auschwitz)

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈauʃbitθ/ [ˈau̯ʃ.β̞it̪θ] (Spain)
• IPA^(key): /ˈauʃbits/ [ˈau̯ʃ.β̞it̪s] (Latin America, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -auʃbitθ (Spain)
• Rhymes: -auʃbits (Latin America, Philippines)
• Syllabification: Ausch‧witz

Proper noun

Auschwitz m

1. Auschwitz (a city in Poland)
2. Auschwitz (concentration camp)