bigot

English

Etymology

From French bigot (“a sanctimonious person; a religious hypocrite”), from Middle French bigot, from Old French bigot, of disputed origin. It is most often believed to have derived from the identical Old French derogatory term bigot applied to the overly religious Normans, said to be known for frequently swearing Middle English bi God (“by God”) (compare Old English bī god, Middle High German bī got, Middle Dutch bi gode), which is also thought to be the origin of the surname Bigott, Bygott. (Compare the French use of "goddamns" to refer to the English in Joan of Arc's time, and les sommobiches (see son of a bitch) during World War I). From meaning "someone overly religious" it came to mean "someone overly devoted to their own religious opinion", and then to its current sense.

The French Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales supports the Germanic origin theory above. Liberman however opines that this has "too strong a taste of a folk etymological guess invented in retrospect" and prefers Grammont et al.'s theory that it derives from Albigot (“inhabitant of Albi”), named after the commune in southern France where Catharism (also known as Albigensianism) is thought to have originated. Online Etymology Dictionary, however, does not list Grammont and Liberman's theory among their possible origins.

Pronunciation

• enPR: bĭgʹət, IPA^(key): /ˈbɪɡət/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡət

Noun

bigot (plural bigots)

1. One who is narrow-mindedly devoted to their own ideas and groups, and intolerant of (people of) differing ideas, races, genders, religions, politics, etc.
   • 2023 April 13, Aletha Adu, Jessica Elgot, Kiran Stacey, “Senior Conservatives hit out at Suella Braverman’s ‘racist rhetoric’”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     A former senior minister from Boris Johnson’s government told the Guardian they believed Braverman was a “real racist bigot”.

2. (obsolete) One who is overly pious in matters of religion, often hypocritically or else superstitiously so.
   • 1653, Urquhart, translating Gargantua and Pantagruel by François Rabelais, book 1:

     He is no bigot or hypocrite, he is not torn and divided betwixt reality and appearance, no wretch of a rugged and peevish disposition, but honest, jovial, resolute, and a good fellow.

   • 1664, Henry More, A Modest Enquiry Into the Mystery of Iniquity, page 436:

     Thus one part of their Church becomes Sotts and Bigots; and the other that behold this Scene of things, though they profess themselves of their Church, become a company of profane Atheists and clancular Deriders of all Religion. […] Nay it is a question whether those that do more superstitiously cleave to them, doe it not rather in a kind of confusion and obstupefaction of mind out of fear and suspicion, then any determinate assurance or firm belief of the things they outwardly profess.

   • 1820, [Charles Robert Maturin], Melmoth the Wanderer: A Tale. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Company, and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., […], →OCLC, page 240:

     Donna Clara was a woman of a cold and grave temper, with all the solemnity of a Spaniard, and all the austerity of a bigot.

Derived terms

• bigotdom
• bigoted
• Bigotgate
• bigotise
• bigotish
• bigotize
• bigotlike
• bigotly
• bigotness
• bigotocracy
• bigotous
• bigotry
• bigotted
• bigoty

 

Translations

one who is narrow-mindedly devoted to his or her own ideas and groups

• Afrikaans: grootmens, dweper (af)
• Albanian: fanatik (sq)
• Arabic: مُتَعَصِّب (mutaʕaṣṣib)
• Armenian: մոլեռանդ (hy) (moleṙand)
• Azerbaijani: təəssübkeş
• Bengali: ধর্মান্ধ (bn) (dhormandho)
• Bulgarian: фанатик (bg) m (fanatik), фанатичка f (fanatička)
• Catalan: fanàtic (ca) m, fanàtica (ca) f, intolerant (ca) m or f, sectari m, sectària f, il·liberal (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 獨斷家／独断家 (duk⁶ dyun³ gaa¹)

  Mandarin: 独断家 (dú duàn jiā)

• Corsican: biguttu
• Czech: náboženský fanatik m, náboženská fanatička f
• Danish: bigot (da) c
• Dhivehi: ބިގޯޓް (bigōṭ)
• Dutch: kwezel (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: bigoto, bigotino (female)
• Estonian: fanaatik sg
• Finnish: suvaitsematon kiihkoilija, suvaitsematon fanaatikko, rasisti (fi)
• French: sectaire (fr) m or f, intolérant (fr) m, intolérante (fr) f, fanatique intolérant m, fanatique intolérante f
• Galician: fanático (gl) m, fanática f
• Georgian: წინასწარგანწყობილი (c̣inasc̣arganc̣q̇obili)
• German: intoleranter Fanatiker m, intolerante Fanatikerin f, engstirniger, intoleranter Mensch m, bornierter Mensch m, Kleingeist (de) m, Rassist (de) m, Rassistin (de) f, Piesepampel m, Kantönligeist m
• Greek: μισαλλόδοξος (el) m (misallódoxos)
• Hebrew: קנאי עיוור (Kana'i iver)
• Hindi: कट्टर (hi) (kaṭṭar), धर्मांध (hi) (dharmāndh), कठमुल्ला (hi) (kaṭhmullā)
• Hungarian: bigott (hu)
• Italian: fanatico (it) m, fanatica (it) f, intollerante (it) m or f, estremista (it) m or f
• Latvian: fanātiķis m
• Portuguese: intolerante (pt) m or f, fanático (pt) m, fanática f, extremista (pt) m or f
• Russian: фана́тик (ru) m (fanátik), фанати́чка (ru) f (fanatíčka), шовини́ст (ru) m (šoviníst), шовини́стка (ru) f (šovinístka)
• Scottish Gaelic: dalm-bheachdaiche m
• Spanish: intolerante (es) m or f, racista (es) m or f, facho (es) m, ultra (es) m or f, carcunda (es) m or f, discriminador (es) m
• Tagalog: panatiko
• Turkish: yobaz (tr), bağnaz (tr)
• Zazaki: taasubkar, verênwan

person who is overly pious in matters of religion

• Afrikaans: grootmens sg
• Esperanto: bigotulo, bigotulino (female)
• French: bigot (fr) m, bigote (fr) f
• German: Frömmler (de) m, Frömmlerin (de) f
• Hungarian: szentfazék (hu)
• Polish: bigot (pl) m, bigotka (pl) f
• Spanish: fanático (es) m, beato (es) m

translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 盲信者 (mángxìnzhě), ^{(please verify)} 執拗的人／执拗的人 (zhíniù de rén), ^{(please verify)} 抱偏見的人／抱偏见的人 (bào piānjiàn de rén)

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} fanaat (nl) m, ^{(please verify)} fanate (nl) f, ^{(please verify)} fanatiekeling (nl) m, ^{(please verify)} onverdraagzame (nl)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} maltoleremulo, bigoto
• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} ფანატიკოსი (panaṭiḳosi)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} bigotto (it), ^{(please verify)} collotorto m
• Portuguese: ^{(please verify)} fanático (pt) m, ^{(please verify)} intolerante (pt) m

See also

• bigot list
• holier-than-thou
• hypocrite

Further reading

• “bigot”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “bigot”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “bigot”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Catalan

Noun

bigot m (plural bigots)

1. Alternative form of bigoti

Cebuano

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: bi‧got

Adjective

bigot

1. (of a woman) buxom; having a full, voluptuous figure, especially possessing large breasts
2. sleek; slim and streamlined

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:bigot.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French bigot, from Middle French bigot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biˈɣɔt/, /biˈʒɔt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bi‧got
• Rhymes: -ɔt

Adjective

bigot (comparative bigotter, superlative bigotst)

1. holier-than-thou, excessively pious

   Synonym: kwezelachtig

2. sanctimonious

   Synonym: schijnheilig

Declension

Declension of bigot
uninflected	bigot
inflected	bigotte
comparative	bigotter
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		bigot	bigotter	het bigotst het bigotste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	bigotte	bigottere	bigotste
	n. sing.	bigot	bigotter	bigotste
	plural	bigotte	bigottere	bigotste
definite		bigotte	bigottere	bigotste
partitive		bigots	bigotters	—

Noun

bigot m (plural bigotten)

1. a holier-than-thou person, an extremely pious person

   Synonyms: femelaar, kwezel, pilaarbijter

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French bigot, from Old French bigot, a derogatory term applied to Normans, possibly due to their frequent use of the Old English oath bī god (“by God”). See also English bigot for a further possible etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi.ɡo/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

bigot m (plural bigots, feminine bigote)

1. bigot, holier-than-thou

Adjective

bigot (feminine bigote, masculine plural bigots, feminine plural bigotes)

1. over-pious, holier-than-thou

Further reading

• “bigot”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from French bigot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbi.ɡɔt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iɡɔt
• Syllabification: bi‧got

Noun

bigot m pers (female equivalent bigotka)

1. (derogatory, literary) bigot, religious fanatic, sanctimonious person

   Synonyms: dewot, nabożniś, pobożniś, religiant, świętoszek

Declension

Declension of bigot

	singular	plural
nominative	bigot	bigoci/bigoty (deprecative)
genitive	bigota	bigotów
dative	bigotowi	bigotom
accusative	bigota	bigotów
instrumental	bigotem	bigotami
locative	bigocie	bigotach
vocative	bigocie	bigoci

Related terms

adjective

• bigoteryjny

 

noun

• bigoteria

 

Further reading

• bigot in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bigot in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French bigot.

Noun

bigot m (plural bigoți)

1. bigot

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	bigot	bigotul		bigoți	bigoții
genitive-dative	bigot	bigotului		bigoți	bigoților
vocative	bigotule			bigoților

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From French bigot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bǐɡot/
• Hyphenation: bi‧got

Noun

bìgot m (Cyrillic spelling бѝгот)

1. bigot

Declension

Declension of bigot

	singular	plural
nominative	bìgot	bigoti
genitive	bigota	bigótā
dative	bigotu	bigotima
accusative	bigota	bigote
vocative	bigote	bigoti
locative	bigotu	bigotima
instrumental	bigotom	bigotima

References

• “bigot”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024