cigarette

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɪɡəɹɛt/, /sɪɡəˈɹɛt/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French cigarette (by 1824), a diminutive of cigare, cigar,^[2][3][4] from Spanish cigarro (see cigar).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small roll of finely cut tobacco in paper: 1832 in Merriam-Webster,^[4] 1835 in American English in Barnhart and Etymonline,^[3][2] 1842 in the OED.^[5]

Semantic evolution

The wrapper could be tobacco, corn husk or, typically, rice paper.^[2] The Spanish forms cigarito and cigarita were also popular in English in the mid-19th century.^[2] A similar roll of medicinal leaves is from 1876.^[5] Cigarette lighter and cigarette heart, heart disease caused by smoking, are both attested from 1884.^[2]

Timeline

• 1832 – first known use.^[4]
• 1835 – American English.^[3]
• 1876 – a medicated roll.^[5]
• 1884 – cigarette lighter.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A short roll of finely cut tobacco wrapped in thin paper for smoking.
2. A similar roll of another substance, such as a herbal mixture or marijuana.

Word family

• anticigarette
• cigarette beetle
• cigarette girl
• cigarette holder

Related words

• cigar
• cigarillo
• fag

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press