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contrarrevolucionario

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Etymology and origin of the Spanish word contrarrevolucionario

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1824 a document from Havana More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Spanish contra-,revolucionario

Pronunciation

  • /ˌkontɾareboluθjoˈnaɾjo/, [ˌkõn̪.t̪ɾa.re.β̞o.lu.θjoˈna.ɾjo], /ˌkontɾarebolusjoˈnaɾjo/[1]

Forms

contrarrevolucionario (feminine contrarrevolucionaria, masculine plural contrarrevolucionarios, feminine plural contrarrevolucionarias)[1]

Etymology

Wikcionario explains it as formed from Spanish contra- + revolucionario.[2] Echegaray derives it from contrarrevolución and sets it beside French contre-révolutionnaire.[3] The French adjective is recorded from 1790, in Mirabeau.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Boyd-Bowman's earliest record is from Havana in 1824, of a man who took part in a counter-revolution or helped it.[5]

Semantic evolution

Salvá in 1846 still marked contrarevolucionario as a neologism, for one who promotes a counter-revolution or supports it;[6][7] Domínguez gave it both as a noun and as an adjective.[6][7] Gaspar y Roig added the broader sense “enemy of revolutions”.[8] In 20th-century Latin America it is common in political writing, as in Mexico in 1968.[5]

Timeline

  • 1790 – French contre-révolutionnaire is first recorded.[4]
  • 1824 – first record in Spanish, in Havana.[5]
  • 1846 – Salvá lists it as a neologism.[6]
  • 1917 – Alemany defines it as “belonging to a counter-revolution”.[9]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to a counterrevolution (contrarrevolución): un levantamiento contrarrevolucionario.[10][11]
  2. (also as a noun) counterrevolutionary: supporting a counterrevolution, or a supporter of one.[10][1]
  • revolucionario
  • revolución
  • French contre-révolutionnaire

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Wikcionario (Spanish Wiktionary), es.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ Echegaray, Eduardo de (1887–1889), Diccionario general etimológico de la lengua española, 5 vols., Madrid: José María Faquineto, p. 423
  4. ^ a b Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b c Boyd-Bowman, Peter (2003), Léxico hispanoamericano 1493–1993, ed. Ray Harris-Northall and John J. Nitti, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies
  6. ^ a b c Salvá, Vicente (1846), Nuevo diccionario de la lengua castellana, París: Librería de Don Vicente Salvá, p. 291
  7. ^ a b Domínguez, Ramón Joaquín (1846–1847), Diccionario nacional o gran diccionario clásico de la lengua española, 2 vols., Madrid: Establecimiento Léxico-Tipográfico de R. J. Domínguez, p. 458
  8. ^ Gaspar y Roig (eds.) (1853–1855), Biblioteca ilustrada de Gaspar y Roig: Diccionario enciclopédico de la lengua española, 2 vols., Madrid: Imprenta y Librería de Gaspar y Roig, p. 1, 636
  9. ^ Alemany y Bolufer, José (1917), Diccionario de la lengua española, Barcelona: Ramón Sopena, p. 447
  10. ^ a b Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. contrarrevolucionario
  11. ^ Moliner, María (2007), Diccionario de uso del español, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos
Cite this entry

“Contrarrevolucionario.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/es/contrarrevolucionario. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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