Etymologically
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saboteur

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 02:56. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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.

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