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ultra

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Etymology and origin of the French word ultra

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Clipping
First attested
1794 Desmoulins, Le Vieux Cordelier More words from the 18th century
Ultimate origin
Latin ultra
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French ultra
English ultra

Pronunciation

Forms

ultra (plural ultras)[1]

Etymology

It is a clipping from French ultra-révolutionnaire (1793), the prefix ultra- of excess becoming a word of its own.[2][3][4] The TLFi thinks the older ultramontain probably helped, though there the prefix has another value.[2] The GLLF takes the later senses from ultraroyaliste,[4] and the Grand Robert hesitates between that clipping and a direct use of Latin ultrā (“beyond”) as a noun.[5][6] The prefix is learned, from the same Latin word, the source also of the inherited outre2.[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Camille Desmoulins first writes it in the Vieux Cordelier in 1794 (“le sexagenaire le plus ultra que j'ai encore vu”), soon after Robespierre's speech setting ultra-révolutionnaire measures against citra-révolutionnaire ones.[2]

Semantic evolution

The noun first named a person with extreme political opinions, especially an extreme revolutionary.[3][2] Under the Restoration it was the name of the uncompromising partisans of the old monarchy (1816 Chateaubriand, 1820 in the DHLF).[4][3] From about 1860 it was also said of anyone extreme in his tastes or views.[3] Today the noun means a reactionary extremist, while the adjective describes any extreme attitude.[3][6]

English ultra was taken from the French by 1817, in French contexts.[7]

Timeline

  • 1792 – The Grand Robert, the GLLF and the Petit Robert date the word to 1792, after Brunot.[5][4][6]
  • 1793 – Danton speaks of mesures ultra-révolutionnaires.[2]
  • 1794 – Desmoulins uses ultra in the Vieux Cordelier.[2][3]
  • 1816 – Chateaubriand uses it of the ultraroyalists.[4]
  • 1817 – English borrows it.[7]
  • 1822 – Stendhal writes the plural ultras.[2]
  • 1869 – Flaubert uses it of a person extreme in his views.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (dated) A person who carries an opinion, especially a political one, to the extreme.[6][8][2]
  2. (history) A partisan of the old monarchy, an ultraroyalist, under the Restoration.[9][8][2]
  3. A reactionary extremist.[6][9]

Adjective

  1. Extremist, extreme in opinions.[6][9][1]

Word family

  • ultracisme
  • ultraïsme

Usage notes

The plural is ultras; the Petit Robert notes that the invariable plural ultra is rare.[6] As an adjective it is given as invariable by the Petit Robert but as agreeing in number by Le Robert, which follows the 1990 spelling reform.[6][9]

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 Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  5. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  9. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
Cite this entry

“Ultra.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/ultra. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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