Etymologically
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cigarette

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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

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