Friday, May 29, 2020

Chauvin: the etymology of a murdering cop

Just a little language stuff regarding Officer Chauvin, formerly of the Minneapolis Police Department. The word "chauvinist," commonly meaning one who condones sexist actions and attitudes, is derived from "chauvin," a French word that was in turn coined from the name of Nicolas Chauvin. Chauvin was a notoriously bellicose and belligerent hyper-nationalist who was a prominent figure in the French First Republic. A "chauvin" in French is an excessively patriotic person. Nicolas Chauvin was a busy finger-pointer in the Reign of Terror, a period in France of post-revolutionary gusto that led many free-thinking newspaper editors, political rivals, private citizens and more up the guillotine steps. Chauvin.