Online Etymology Dictionary

revolution: 1390, originally of celestial bodies, from O.Fr. revolution, from L.L. revolutionem (nom. revolutio) "a revolving," from L. revolutus, pp. of revolvere "turn, roll back" (see revolve). General sense of "instance of great change in affairs" is recorded from c.1450. Political meaning first recorded 1600, derived from French, and was especially applied to the expulsion of the Stuart dynasty under James II in 1688 and transfer of sovereignty to William and Mary. Revolutionary as a noun is first attested 1850, from the adjective. Revolutionize "to change a thing completely and fundamentally" is first recorded 1799.
Cultural Revolution: 1966, from Chinese, translation of Wuchan Jieji Wenhua Da Geming "Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution."
counterrevolution: also counter-revolution, 1791, from counter- + revolution. First recorded in U.S. with ref. to American Revolution.
October: c.1050, from L. October (mensis), from octo "eight," from PIE base *octo(u)- "eight." For -ber see December. Replaced O.E. winterfylleð. In Rus. history, October Revolution (in which the Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government) happened Nov. 7, but because Russia had not at that time adpoted the Gregorian calendar reform, this date was reckoned there (Old Style) as Oct. 25. Octobrist can have two senses: the first (from Rus. oktyabrist) is a member of the league formed October 1905 in response to imperial policies; the second (from Rus. Oktyabryonok) is a member of a Rus. communist children's organization, founded 1925 and named in honor of the October Revolution.
anarchist: 1670s, see anarchy. The word got a boost into modernity from the French Revolution.
rev (v.): 1916, from earlier noun (1901), shortening of revolution, in reference to the internal combustion engine.
turn (n.): c.1250, "action of rotation," from Anglo-Fr. tourn (O.Fr. tour), from L. tornus "turning lathe;" also partly a noun of action from turn (v.). Meaning "an act of turning, a single revolution or part of a revolution" is attested from 1481. Sense of "place of bending" (in a road, river, etc.) is recorded from 1412. Meaning "beginning of a period of time" is attested from 1853 (e.g. turn of the century, 1926). Sense of "act of good will" is recorded from c.1300. Meaning "spell of work" is from c.1375; that of "an individual's time for action, when these go around in succession" is recorded from c.1393. Turn about "by turns, alternately" is recorded from 1650. Phrase done to a turn (1780) suggests meat roasted on a spit. The turn of the screw (1796) is the additional twist to tighten its hold, sometimes with ref. to torture by thumbscrews.
Manchu: 1655, member of Tungusic race of Manchuria, which conquered China in 1644 and remained its ruling class until the Revolution of 1912. From Manchu, lit. "pure," name of the tribe descended from the Nu-chen Tartars.
Cheka: early Soviet secret police, 1921, from Rus. initials of Chrezvychainaya Komissiya "Extraordinary Commission (for Combating Counter-Revolution);" set up 1917, superseded 1922 by G.P.U.
terrorism: 1795, in specific sense of "government intimidation during the Reign of Terror in France" (1793-July 1794), from Fr. terrorisme (1798), from L. terror (see terror).
"If the basis of a popular government in peacetime is virtue, its basis in a time of revolution is virtue and terror -- virtue, without which terror would be barbaric; and terror, without which virtue would be impotent." [Robespierre, speech in Fr. National Convention, 1794]
General sense of "systematic use of terror as a policy" is first recorded in Eng. 1798. Terrorize "coerce or deter by terror" first recorded 1823. Terrorist in the modern sense dates to 1947, especially in reference to Jewish tactics against the British in Palestine -- earlier it was used of extremist revolutionaries in Russia (1866); and Jacobins during the French Revolution (1795) -- from Fr. terroriste. The tendency of one party's terrorist to be another's guerilla or freedom fighter was noted in ref. to the British action in Cyprus (1956) and the war in Rhodesia (1973). The word terrorist has been applied, at least retroactively, to the Maquis resistance in occupied France in World War II (e.g. in the "Spectator," Oct. 20, 1979).
ancien régime: 1794, from Fr., lit. "old rule," referring to the government and social order of France before the Revolution there. See ancient + regime.
capitalist (n.): 1791, from Fr. capitaliste, a coinage of the Revolution and a term of reproach; see capital. Capitalistic is from 1873.
aristocrat: 1789, from Fr. aristocrate, a word of the Revolution, a back-formation from aristocratie (see aristocracy).
blatherskite: c.1650, bletherskate, in Scottish song "Maggie Lauder," which was popular with soldiers in the Continental Army in the American Revolution, hence the colloquial U.S. use for "talkative fellow, foolish talk," esp. in early 19c. From blather (q.v.) + dial. skite "contemptible person."
disorganize: 1793, from Fr. désorganiser, from dés- "not" + organiser "organize." This word and related forms introduced in Eng. in reference to the Fr. Revolution.
despot: 1560s, "absolute ruler," from M.L. despota, from Gk. despotes "master of a household, lord, absolute ruler." Faintly pejorative in Gk., progressively more so as used in various languages for Roman emperors, Christian rulers of Ottoman provinces, and Louis XVI during the French Revolution.
buckskin: 1433, "skin of a buck," from buck (n.) + skin. Meaning "leather made from buckskin" was in use by 1804. The word was a nickname for American troops in the American Revolution.
saturnine: "gloomy, morose, sluggish, grave," 1433, lit. "born under the influence of the planet Saturn," from M.E. Saturne (see Saturn). Medieval physiology believed these characteristics to be caused by the astrological influence of the planet Saturn, which was the most remote from the Sun (in the limited knowledge of the times) and thus coldest and slowest in its revolution.
sans-culotte: "lower-class republican of the French Revolution," 1790, from Fr., lit. "without breeches;" see cullotes. Usually explained as referring to the class whose distinctive costume was pantalons (long trousers) as opposed to the upper classes, which wore culottes (knee-breeches), but this is not certain.
demoralize: c.1793, "to corrupt the morals of," from Fr. demoraliser, from de- "remove" + moral (adj.) (see moral). Said to be a coinage of the Fr. Revolution. Sense of "lower the morale of" (especially of armies) is first recorded 1848.
tricolor: 1798, "flag having three colors," especially the emblem of France adopted during the Revolution, from Fr. tricolore, in drapeau tricolore "three-colored flag." The arrangement of colors on the Fr. flag dates from 1794.
Hessian: 1677, from former Grand Duchy of Hesse, now a state in central Germany, its soldiers being hired out to fight for other countries, esp. the British during the American Revolution. Hessian fly (Cecidomyia destructor) was a destructive parasite the ravaged U.S. crops late 18c., so named in erroneous belief that it was carried into America by Hessian mercenaries.
emigré: 1792, from Fr. émigré, pp. of émigrer "emigrate," from L. emigrare (see emigration). Originally used of royalist refugees from the French Revolution.
Boston: U.S. city, 1630, named for town in Lincolnshire, a region from which many settlers came to New England. The name is said to be lit. "Botolph's Stone," probably from the name of some Anglo-Saxon landowner (O.E. Botwulf). Boston Massacre was March 5, 1770; three civilians killed, two mortally wounded. Card game Boston (1800) is based on the siege of Boston during the American Revolution.
proconsul: 1382, "governor or military commander of an ancient Roman province," from L. proconsul, from phrase pro consule "(acting) in place of a consul," from pro- + abl. of consul. In modern use, usually rhetorical, but it was a title of certain commissioners in the Fr. Revolution and also was used in Eng. for "deputy consul."
red (2): "Bolshevik," 1917, from red (1), the color they adopted for themselves. Association in Europe of red with revolutionary politics (on notion of blood and violence) is from at least 1297, but got a boost 1793 with adoption of the red Phrygian cap (Fr. bonnet rouge) as symbol of the Fr. Revolution. First specific political reference in Eng. was 1848 (adj.), in news reports of the Second French Republic (a.k.a. Red Republic). The noun meaning "radical, communist" is from 1851.
functionary: "one who has a certain function," 1791, from Fr. fonctionnaire, a word of the Revolution; from O.Fr. function (see function).
sexual: 1651, "of or pertaining to the fact of being male or female," from L.L. sexualis "relating to sex," from L. sexus (see sex). Meaning "pertaining to copulation or generation" is from 1799 (in sexual intercourse). Sexuality "capability of sexual feelings" is from 1879. Sexual revolution first attested 1970 in Kate Millett.
Tammany: synonymous with "Democratic Party in New York City," hence, late 19c., proverbial for "political and municipal corruption," from Tammany Hall, on 14th Street, headquarters of a social club incorporated 1789, named for Delaware Indian chief Tamanen, who sold land to William Penn in 1683 and '97. Around the time of the American Revolution he was popularly canonized as St. Tammany and taken as the "patron saint" of Pennsylvania and neighboring colonies, sometimes of the whole of America. He was assigned a feast day (May 1 Old Style, May 12 New Style) which was celebrated with festivities that raised money for charity, hence the easy transfer of the name to what was, at first, a benevolent association.
lynch (v.): 1835, from earlier Lynch law (1811), likely named after William Lynch (1742-1820) of Pittsylvania, Va., who c.1780 led a vigilance committee to keep order there during the Revolution. Other sources trace the name to Charles Lynch (1736-96) a Virginia magistrate who fined and imprisoned Tories in his district c.1782, but the connection to him is less likely. Originally any sort of summary justice, especially by flogging; narrowing of focus to "extralegal execution by hanging" is 20c. Lynch mob is attested from 1838. The surname is either from O.E. hlinc "hill" or Ir. Loingseach "sailor."
Yankee Doodle: popular tune of the Amer. Revolution, apparently written c.1755 by British Army surgeon Dr. Richard Schuckburgh while campaigning with Amherst's force in upper New York during the French and Indian War. The original verses mocked the colonial troops serving alongside the regulars, and the Doodle element just may have been, or hinted at, the 18c. slang term for "penis." The song naturally was popular with British troops in the colonies, but after the colonials began to win skirmishes with them in 1775, they took the tune as a patriotic prize and re-worked the lyrics. The current version seems to have been written in 1776 by Edward Bangs, a Harvard sophomore who also was a Minuteman.
regime: "system of government or rule," 1792, from Fr. régime, from L. regimen "rule, guidance, government," from regere (see regal). In Fr., l'ancien régime refers to the system of government before the revolution of 1789.
commune (n.): 1792, from Fr., "small territorial divisions set up after the Revolution," from M.Fr. commune "free city, group of citizens," from M.L. communia, orig. neut. pl. of L. communis, lit. "that which is common," from communis (see common). The Commune of Paris usurped the government during the Reign of Terror. The word was later applied to a government on communalistic principles set up in Paris in 1871. Adherents of the 1871 government were Communards.
scientific: 1589, from M.Fr. scientifique, from M.L. scientificus "pertaining to science," from L. scientia "knowledge" (see science) + -ficus "making" + facere "to make" (see factitious). Originally used to translate Gk. epistemonikos "making knowledge" in Aristotle's "Ethics." First record of scientific revolution is from 1803; scientific method is from 1854; scientific notation is from 1961.
Yankee: 1683, a name applied disparagingly by Du. settlers in New Amsterdam (New York) to English colonists in neighboring Connecticut. It may be from Du. Janke, lit. "Little John," dim. of common personal name Jan; or it may be from Jan Kes familiar form of "John Cornelius," or perhaps an alt. of Jan Kees, dial. variant of Jan Kaas, lit. "John Cheese," the generic nickname the Flemings used for Dutchmen. It originally seems to have been applied insultingly to Dutch, especially freebooters, before they turned around and slapped it on the English. A less-likely theory is that it represents some southern New England Algonquian language mangling of English. In Eng. a term of contempt (1750s) before its use as a general term for "native of New England" (1765); during the American Revolution it became a disparaging British word for all American native or inhabitants. Shortened form Yank in reference to "an American" first recorded 1778.
conservative: as a modern political tradition, conservatism traces to Edmund Burke's opposition to the Fr. Revolution (1790), but the word conservative is not found in his writing. It was coined by his Fr. disciples, (e.g. Chateaubriand, who titled his journal defending clerical and political restoration "Le Conservateur"). Conservative as the name of a British political faction it first appeared in an 1830 issue of the "Quarterly Review," in an unsigned article sometimes attributed to John Wilson Croker. It replaced Tory (q.v.) by 1843, reflecting both a change from the pejorative name (in use for 150 years) and repudiation of some reactionary policies. Extended to similar spirits in other parties from 1845.
"Strictly speaking, conservatism is not a political system, but rather a way of looking at the civil order. The conservative of Peru ... will differ greatly from those of Australia, for though they may share a preference for things established, the institutions and customs which they desire to preserve are not identical." [Russell Kirk (1918-1994)]
Phrases such as a conservative estimate make no sense etymologically.
gang: O.E. gong "a going, journey, way, passage," and O.N. gangr "a group of men, a set," both from P.Gmc. *gangaz (noun of action related to *gangan "to go"), from PIE base *ghengh- "to step" (cf. Skt. jangha "shank," Avestan zanga- "ankle," Lith. zengiu "I stride"). The sense evolution is probably via meaning "a set of articles that are usually taken together in going," especially a set of tools used on the same job. By 1627 this had been extended in nautical speech to mean "a company of workmen," and by 1632 the word was being used, with disapproving overtones, for "any band of persons traveling together." Gangway is O.E. gangweg "road, passage," and preserves the original sense of the word, as does gangplank (1846, Amer.Eng., replacing earlier gang-board). To gang up (on) is first attested 1925. To come on like gangbusters (c.1940) is from radio drama "Gangbusters" (1937-57) which always opened with a cacophony of sirens, screams, shots, and jarring music. Gang of Four (1976) translates Chinese sirenbang, the nickname given to the four leaders of the Cultural Revolution who took the fall in Communist China after the death of Mao.
Whig: British political party, 1657, in part perhaps a disparaging use of whigg "a country bumpkin" (c.1645); but mainly a shortened form of Whiggamore (1649) "one of the adherents of the Presbyterian cause in western Scotland who marched on Edinburgh in 1648 to oppose Charles I." Perhaps originally "a horse drover," from dialectal verb whig "to urge forward" + mare. The name was first used 1689 in reference to members of the British political party that opposed the Tories. American Revolution sense of "colonist who opposes Crown policies" is from 1768. Later it was applied to opponents of Andrew Jackson (as early as 1825), and taken as the name of a political party (1834) that merged into the Republican Party in 1854-56.
"... in the spring of 1834 Jackson's opponents adopted the name Whig, traditional term for critics of executive usurpations. James Watson Webb, editor of the New York Courier and Enquirer, encouraged use of the name. [Henry] Clay gave it national currency in a speech on April 14, 1834, likening "the whigs of the present day" to those who had resisted George III, and by summer it was official." [Daniel Walker Howe, "What Hath God Wrought," 2007, p.390]
Whig historian is recorded from 1924. Whig history is "the tendency in many historians ... to emphasise certain principles of progress in the past and to produce a story which is the ratification if not the glorification of the present." [Herbert Butterfield, "The Whig Interpretation of History," 1931]
left: c.1200, from Kentish form of O.E. lyft- "weak, foolish" (cf. lyft-adl "lameness, paralysis," E.Fris. luf, Du. dial. loof "weak, worthless"). It emerged 13c. as "opposite of right," a derived sense also found in M.Du., Low Ger. luchter, luft. Ger. link, Du. linker "left" are from O.H.G. slinc, M.Du. slink "left," related to O.E. slincan "crawl," Sw. linka "limp," slinka "dangle." Replaced O.E. winestra, lit. "friendlier," a euphemism used superstitiously to avoid invoking the unlucky forces connected with the left side (see sinister). The Kentish word itself may have been originally a taboo replacement, if instead it represents PIE root *laiwo-, meaning "considered conspicuous" (represented in Gk. laios, Latvian laevus, and Rus. levyi). Gk. also uses a euphemism for "left," aristeros "the better one" (cf. also Avestan vairyastara- "to the left," from vairya- "desirable"). But Lith. kairys "left" and Lettish kreilis "left hand" derive from a root that yields words for "twisted, crooked." Political sense arose from members of a legislative body assigned to the left side of a chamber, first attested in Eng. 1837 (by Carlyle, in ref. to the Fr. Revolution), probably a loan-translation of Fr. la gauche (1791), said to have originated during the seating of the Fr. National Assembly in 1789 in which the nobility took the seats on the President's right and left the Third Estate to sit on the left. Became general in U.S. and British political speech c.1900 (cf. Leftist, 1924; left wing, 1898). Used since at least 1612 in various senses of "irregular, illicit," such as the phrase left-handed compliment (1881). Phrase out in left field "unorthodox, unexpected" is attested from 1959. Lefty "left-handed person" is 1886, Amer.Eng., baseball slang. The Left Bank of Paris has been associated with intellectual and artistic culture since at least 1893.