saboteur

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌsæbəˈtɜː(ɹ)/, /ˌsæbəˈtʊə(ɹ)/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French saboteur,^[2][3][4][5] the agent noun of saboter “to sabotage”,^[2][3][4] which Random House glosses as “to botch”.^[5] It is related to sabotage and sabot.^[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who commits sabotage (1912 in Etymonline, after use as a French word from 1909, but 1921 in the OED and Merriam-Webster).^[3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The meaning has stayed the same since the word was adopted.^[6][2][4] The French feminine form is saboteuse.^[3]

Timeline

• 1909 – as a French word in English.^[3]
• 1912 – saboteur (Etymonline).^[3]
• 1921 – the OED and Merriam-Webster's date.^[6][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who commits sabotage, especially one who deliberately destroys property to hinder an enemy.

Related words

• sabotage
• sabot

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press