sarcasmus

Forms

sarcasmus m (genitive sarcasmī); second declension^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek σαρκασμός (sarkasmós, “grim scorn”),^[2][1][3] from σαρκάζω (sarkázō, “to mock bitterly”).^[4][3] Etymonline takes the verb literally as “to strip off the flesh”, from σάρξ (sárx, “flesh”);^[3] Beekes finds that connection the most obvious, but not yet convincingly argued.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is a term of the Late Latin grammarians: Charisius and Diomedes list it as a figure of speech.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Latin kept it as a technical term of rhetoric.^[2][1] English took it over in its Latin form sarcasmus in the 1570s, for a biting taunt or gibe; the form sarcasm appears in the 1610s.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 362 AD – Charisius names it among the figures of speech.^[2][5]
• second half of the 4th century AD – Diomedes does the same.^[2][5]
• 1570s – English borrows it as sarcasmus.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin, rhetoric) Sarcasm, a bitter taunt.^[2][1]

Related words

• English sarcasm

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de