Advertisement
bigoted (adj.)
"obstinately and blindly devoted to a particular creed, opinion, etc.," 1640s, from bigot (q.v.).
Entries linking to bigoted
bigot (n.)1590s, "sanctimonious person, religious hypocrite," from French bigot (12c.), which is of unknown origin. Sense extended 1680s to other than religious opinions.
Earliest French use of the word is as the name of a people apparently in southern Gaul, which led to the theory, now considered doubtful on phonetic grounds, that the word comes from Visigothus. The typical use in Old French seems to have been as a derogatory nickname for Normans, leading to another theory (not universally accepted) that traces it to the Normans' (alleged) frequent use of the Germanic oath bi God. OED dismisses in a three-exclamation-mark fury one fanciful version of the "by god" theory as "absurdly incongruous with facts." At the end, not much is left standing except Spanish bigote "mustache," which also has been proposed as the origin of the word, but not explained, so the chief virtue of that theory is the lack of evidence for or against it.
In support of the "by God" theory the surnames Bigott, Bygott are attested in Normandy and in England from the 11c., and French name-etymology sources (such as Dauzat) explain it as a derogatory name applied by the French to the Normans and representing "by god." The English were known as goddamns 200 years later in Joan of Arc's France, and during World War I Americans serving in France were said to be known as les sommobiches (see son of a bitch) for their characteristic oaths. But the sense development in bigot would be difficult to explain. According to Donkin, the modern use first appears in French in 16c. This and the earliest English sense, "religious hypocrite," especially a female one, might have been influenced by or confused with beguine (q.v.) and the words that cluster around it.
Earliest French use of the word is as the name of a people apparently in southern Gaul, which led to the theory, now considered doubtful on phonetic grounds, that the word comes from Visigothus. The typical use in Old French seems to have been as a derogatory nickname for Normans, leading to another theory (not universally accepted) that traces it to the Normans' (alleged) frequent use of the Germanic oath bi God. OED dismisses in a three-exclamation-mark fury one fanciful version of the "by god" theory as "absurdly incongruous with facts." At the end, not much is left standing except Spanish bigote "mustache," which also has been proposed as the origin of the word, but not explained, so the chief virtue of that theory is the lack of evidence for or against it.
In support of the "by God" theory the surnames Bigott, Bygott are attested in Normandy and in England from the 11c., and French name-etymology sources (such as Dauzat) explain it as a derogatory name applied by the French to the Normans and representing "by god." The English were known as goddamns 200 years later in Joan of Arc's France, and during World War I Americans serving in France were said to be known as les sommobiches (see son of a bitch) for their characteristic oaths. But the sense development in bigot would be difficult to explain. According to Donkin, the modern use first appears in French in 16c. This and the earliest English sense, "religious hypocrite," especially a female one, might have been influenced by or confused with beguine (q.v.) and the words that cluster around it.
Share bigoted
‘cite’
Page URL:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/bigoted
HTML Link:
<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/bigoted">Etymology of bigoted by etymonline</a>
APA style:
Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of bigoted. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/bigoted
Chicago style:
Harper Douglas, “Etymology of bigoted,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/bigoted.
MLA style:
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of bigoted.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/bigoted. Accessed $(datetimeMla).
IEEE style:
D. Harper. “Etymology of bigoted.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/bigoted (accessed $(datetime)).
updated on May 26, 2017
Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of bigoted from WordNet
bigoted (adj.)
blindly and obstinately attached to some creed or opinion and intolerant toward others;
a bigoted person
an outrageously bigoted point of view
From wordnet.princeton.edu, not affiliated with etymonline.
