rebel

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹɛb.əl/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French rebelle (“stubborn, rebellious”) and directly Latin rebellis (“insurgent, rebellious”),^[2][3][4] from rebellāre, to wage war again, revolt,^[2][3][5] from re-, again or against, and bellāre, to wage war, from bellum, war (earlier duellum; see duel, bellicose).^[2][3][6] It is a doublet of revel.^[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Refusing obedience to the rightful ruler, rebellious (adjective): 1297 in the OED, about 1300 in Etymonline, before 1300 in Barnhart.^[7][2][3]

Semantic evolution

Word Origins notes that Latin rebellis first referred to someone making a fresh declaration of war after being defeated.^[6] In Middle English rebel was common as a predicative adjective, but since the 1600s it has been used chiefly before a noun, as in a rebel army.^[3][7] The noun, one who resists authority, is from the mid-14th century, at first of rebellion against God,^[2][4] and an obstinate person from the mid-15th century.^[2] The verb is from the late 14th century.^[2][4] A supporter of the American cause in the War of Independence is by 1775, and of the South in the Civil War from April 1861;^[2] the rebel yell is attested from 1862.^[2] Rebel Without a Cause (1955), starring James Dean, gave a phrase for someone dissatisfied with society in general.^[6]

Timeline

• 1297 – rebellious (adjective).^[7]
• mid-14th century – a rebel (noun).^[2]
• late 14th century – the verb.^[2]
• 1775 – an American patriot.^[2]
• 1861 – a Confederate.^[2]
• 1955 – rebel without a cause.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who resists or fights against a government or other authority.
2. A person who rejects accepted conventions of behaviour.

Verb

1. To resist or rise up against a government or authority, especially by force.
2. To defy convention.
3. To feel or show strong dislike.

Adjective

1. Rebellious, or belonging to rebels: a rebel army.

Word family

• rebellike
• nonrebel
• reb
• rebeldom
• Johnny Reb
• rebel yell

Related words

• rebellion
• rebellious
• revel
• duel
• bellicose
• belligerent

Usage notes

The noun and adjective are stressed on the first syllable, the verb on the second.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
4. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins