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raciste

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Etymology and origin of the French word raciste

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1892 La France républicaine More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origins
Old French harazFrench -iste
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Italian razza
French race
Romanian rasă
French raciste
Spanish raza
From the same root
French racisme ← race

Pronunciation

Forms

raciste (plural racistes)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French race + -iste.[2][1] The Grand Robert and the Petit Robert derive it instead from racisme,[3][4] although the adjective is recorded a little before that noun.[5] Bloch and Wartburg date both words to 1932.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in 1892, in the newspaper La France républicaine, without a clear part of speech; in 1895 Charles Maurras uses it as an adjective in the Gazette de France.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

At first the word meant “relating to racism” as a doctrine and “supporting racism”; it is recorded as a noun for a person only in 1924.[2][5] French texts of the 1920s also used it to render the German nationalist label völkisch.[7]

Like racisme, it later took a stronger sense, hostility towards people of other races, and it serves as a term of abuse to denounce that attitude.[5] The idea of race has given way to hostility towards any human group, defined by nationality, religion or culture, sex or age.[5] The opposite antiraciste is recorded from 1938.[5]

Timeline

  • 1892 – First recorded, in La France républicaine.[2][5]
  • 1895 – Charles Maurras uses it as an adjective.[2][5]
  • 1924 – First recorded as a noun, in the Larousse mensuel.[2][5]
  • 1932 – Larousse records the adjective and the noun.[6][8]
  • 1938 – The opposite antiraciste appears.[5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Relating to racism as a theory or doctrine.[2][8]
  2. Inspired or motivated by racism, such as a policy or an act of violence.[8][9]
  3. Of a person: believing in a hierarchy of races and hostile to groups seen as inferior.[4][10]

Noun

  1. A racist, a person who supports racism or whose behaviour shows it: un raciste notoire.[3][10]

Word family

  • antiraciste

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  8. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  9. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Raciste.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/raciste. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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