Ethnic Cleansing

This is almost synonymous with "genocide," although it can refer to the mass deportation/expulsion of a certain ethnic group as well as mass murder. It's super evil, any way you cut it.

Etymologically

"Etymology" refers to how a word came to have its exact meaning. Fun fact: the etymology of "lunatic" comes from "luna," or "moon." People used to think that the moon was responsible for mental changes…and not just the mental changes that go along with (we assume) becoming a werewolf.

Genocide

The mass murder/extermination of a racial group. Think: the Holocaust. Think: the Killing Fields of Cambodia. Think: the murder of the Tutsis in Rwanda. And if you need a current example, think of what's happening in Darfur.

Metaphysical

In this case, "metaphysical" refers to spelunking through philosophy to figure out the meaning of existence.

Muselmanner

Muselmann is actually the German word for "Muslim," but in the concentrations camps, prisoners referred to other captives as "Muselmanner" if it became obvious they'd given up hope and, by their exhaustion, that they'd soon be dead.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an agreement between democracies around the world to help each other out if any member nations get into scuffles that require military intervention.

NATO was established in 1949 to protect against the spread of communism, but after the Soviet Union fell toward the end of the 20th century, NATO switched gears and now works hard to put an end to other instances of civil war and genocide.

The Pentagon

We're not talking about the fun shape you built with Tangrams in first grade. The Pentagon is home to the U.S. Department of Defense, a branch of government responsible for the national security of the United States.

Perils

"Peril" is just a fancy word for "danger."

The State Department

It's actually the United States Department of State, but that's long and a little redundant, so we just shorten it to "State Department."

The State Department keeps the president up to date on what's happening around the world and helps us play nice with other countries.

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht was the name for the military in Nazi Germany. They were a scary bunch, especially when they started playing with the SS.

Also, Shmoop tip: It's pronounced "vair-mahkht," with extra phlegm on that second syllable.