sarcasm

Etymology

First recorded in the 16th century: 1550 according to Merriam-Webster,^[1] the 1570s according to Etymonline, at first in the Latin form sarcasmus.^[2] It is borrowed from Late Latin sarcasmus,^[3][4] from Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmós, “a sneer”),^[5][6] from Ancient Greek σαρκάζω (sarkázō, “to tear flesh, gnash the teeth, speak bitterly”),^[4][1] from Ancient Greek σάρξ (sárx, “flesh”).^[3][4] Merriam-Webster also allows a borrowing via French sarcasme.^[1]

References

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