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racisme

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Etymology and origin of the French word racisme

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1902 A. Maybon, Revue blanche More words from the 20th century
Ultimate origin
French race
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Italian razza
French race
Romanian rasă
French racisme
English racism
Spanish raza
From the same root
French raciste ← race

Pronunciation

Forms

racisme m (uncountable)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French race + -isme.[2][1][3] It was coined at a time when the notion of race was being exploited politically; the related raciste is slightly older (1892).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLFi's first record is an article by A. Maybon in the Revue blanche of 15 September 1902, for a theory of a hierarchy of races.[2][3] Older dictionaries dated the word to about 1930 or to the Larousse of 1932.[4][5][6]

Semantic evolution

Its first meaning was a doctrine ranking human races, and in particular the political doctrine that a so-called superior race has the right to rule others.[2][3] The everyday sense, hostility towards a racial group, probably developed in the 1930s and 1940s.[3]

Later the idea of race gave way to hostility towards any human group: a nationality (where racisme is used loosely for xénophobie), a religious or cultural group, a sex or an age group, as in racisme antijeunes.[3][6][7] The ambiguity was there from the start, in the antisemitic “racism” of its first users.[3] The opposite antiracisme dates from about 1950.[3]

Timeline

  • 1902 – A. Maybon uses racisme in the Revue blanche.[2][3]
  • 1930s–1940s – The sense “hostility towards a racial group” spreads.[3]
  • 1932 – The Larousse records the word.[6][4]
  • 1938 – Antiraciste appears.[3]
  • c. 1950 – Antiracisme appears.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A doctrine or ideology that ranks human groups called races and holds some to be superior, and the behaviour it inspires.[7][8][9][2]
  2. Hostility, prejudice or discrimination against people of another race or ethnic group.[9][8][3]
  3. (by extension) Systematic hostility towards any group of people: le racisme antijeunes.[7][6][8]

Word family

  • antiracisme

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  5. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  8. ^ a b c Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ a b Académie française (1992–2024), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9th ed., Paris: Académie française / Fayard / Imprimerie nationale
Cite this entry

“Racisme.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/racisme. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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