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chauvinist - 2 dictionary results

chau⋅vin⋅ism

  [shoh-vuh-niz-uhm]
Use chauvinist in a Sentence
–noun
1. zealous and aggressive patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory.
2. biased devotion to any group, attitude, or cause.

Origin:
1865–70; < F chauvinisme, equiv. to chauvin jingo (named after N. Chauvin, a soldier in Napoleon's army noted for loud-mouthed patriotism) + -isme -ism

Related forms:
chau⋅vin⋅ist, noun
chau⋅vin⋅is⋅tic, adjective
chau⋅vin⋅is⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chauvinist
chau·vin·ism   (shō'və-nĭz'əm)   
n.  
  1. Militant devotion to and glorification of one's country; fanatical patriotism.
  2. Prejudiced belief in the superiority of one's own gender, group, or kind: "the chauvinism . . . of making extraterrestrial life in our own image" (Henry S.F. Cooper, Jr.)

[French chauvinisme, after Nicolas Chauvin, a legendary French soldier famous for his devotion to Napoleon.]
chau'vin·ist n., chau'vin·is'tic adj., chau'vin·is'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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