revolutionary

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌɹɛvəˈluːʃənɹi/, /-ˈljuː-/ (UK); /ˌɹɛvəˈluʃənɛɹi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from revolution and -ary,^[2][3][4] partly after French révolutionnaire.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Pertaining to a revolution in government: 1774 in the OED and Etymonline;^[5][2] MWU dates it to 1694.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Revolving, marked by rotation, is from 1832.^[5] The noun, one who instigates or takes part in a revolution, is by 1850 (compare revolutionist),^[2][5] and MWU dates it to 1795.^[3] Involving a great or complete change, as a revolutionary new design, followed.^[6][7]

Timeline

• 1694 – first use (MWU).^[3]
• 1774 – of political revolution.^[5][2]
• 1832 – revolving.^[5]
• 1850 – a revolutionary (noun).^[2][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Involving or causing a complete or dramatic change: a revolutionary idea.
2. Relating to or engaged in political revolution.
3. (Revolutionary) Of a particular revolution, such as the American or French.

Noun

1. A person who takes part in or supports a revolution.

Word family

• revolutionarily
• revolutionariness
• nonrevolutionary
• prorevolutionary
• ultrarevolutionary
• unrevolutionary
• antirevolutionary
• counterrevolutionary

Related words

• revolution
• revolve
• revolt
• evolution

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins