HOLODOMOR - it's not a play on another well known similar sounding word. Its meaning is uniquely Ukrainian, as is the experience that gave origin to the word. The word HOLODOMOR is a literal combination of two Ukrainian words: holod meaning starvation, and moryty meaning to kill. HOLODOMOR - to kill by starvation - defines a horrific tragedy in the history of mankind: the genocide committed against the Ukrainian people by the Soviet regime in 1932 - 33 as authorized by its leader Josef Stalin.