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chauvinism

Etymology and origin of the English word chauvinism

History Permalink
Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
French chauvinisme

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈʃəʊ.vɪ.nɪ.zəm/ (UK); /ˈʃoʊ.vɪˌnɪzəm/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French chauvinisme,[2][3][4][5] named after Nicolas Chauvin, a soldier famous for his devotion to Napoleon.[2][4][6] Chauvin was popularized as a character in the Cogniard brothers' vaudeville La Cocarde tricolore (1831);[3][4][5] Etymonline notes that no real soldier behind the character has been firmly identified.[5] The surname is a French form of Latin Calvinus.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Exaggerated, warlike patriotism (1840 in Etymonline; 1870 in the OED and Barnhart).[5][7][4]

Semantic evolution

Chauvin's devotion to the Emperor was at first admired and later ridiculed after Napoleon's fall.[4] In the late 19th century the word was extended to excessive belief in the superiority of one's own race or group,[5][7] and in the late 1960s, through male chauvinist, to prejudice against women.[5][4]

Timeline

  • 1840 – exaggerated nationalism (Etymonline).[5]
  • 1851 – first date given by Merriam-Webster.[3]
  • 1870 – bellicose patriotism, with the noun chauvinist.[7][4]
  • 1955 – excessive loyalty to one's own group or cause.[7]
  • late 1960s – male prejudice against women, via male chauvinist.[5][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Fanatical, aggressive patriotism.
  2. Prejudiced belief in the superiority of one's own group, cause or kind.
  3. An attitude of superiority towards the opposite sex.

Word family

  • chauvinist
  • chauvinistic
  • chauvinistically
  • male chauvinism

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Chauvinism.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/chauvinism. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·