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sarcasme

Etymology and origin of the French word sarcasme

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1552, Rabelais, Quart Livre
Borrowed from
Latin sarcasmus
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (σάρξ)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /saʁ.kasm/[1]
  • IPA: /saʁ.kazm/[1]

Forms

sarcasme m (plural sarcasmes)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin sarcasmus, used by the grammarians as a term of rhetoric,[2][3][4][1][5] from Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmós, “bitter laughter, sneer”), derived from σαρκάζω (sarkázō, “to bare the teeth; to bite the flesh; to tear with sneers”), from σάρξ (sárx, “flesh”).[2][3][4][6][7] Fabri's “Rhétorique” (1521) already has “sarcosmos”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the new prologue of Rabelais's Quart Livre (1552), the Gospel says to the careless physician, en horrible sarcasme, “physician, heal thyself”;[2][3][7] the Grand Robert and the Petit Robert date the word from 1546.[6][8] Ronsard defines a sarcasm as the mockery of a victor over the body of his dying enemy.[7]

Semantic evolution

The word means bitter, cutting irony, and also from Furetière (1690) to the Trévoux dictionary (1771) it was also recorded as a term of rhetoric.[2][3] Un sarcasme, des sarcasmes are sneering remarks.[8][9]

The adjective sarcastique appeared at the end of the 18th century (Mme de Staël, Benjamin Constant), formed after enthousiaste and ironique[3][4]; Chamfort had used sarcasmatique in 1794.[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1521 – Sarcosmos in Fabri's Rhétorique.[2]
  • 1546 – Date given by the Grand Robert.[6]
  • 1552 – En horrible sarcasme (Rabelais).[2][4]
  • 1690 – A term of rhetoric (Furetière).[2][3]
  • 1694 – First recorded by the Académie.[2]
  • late 18th century – Sarcastique (Mme de Staël).[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Sarcasm, bitter, cutting irony.[8][9]
  2. A sarcastic remark; a gibe: répondre par des sarcasmes.[8][9]

Word family

  • sarcastique

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 221a
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sarcasme.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/sarcasme. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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