Etymologically
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rebel

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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
  • 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