martinet

[mahr-tn-et, mahr-tn-et]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR martinet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.

someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.

Origin of martinet

1670–80; after General Jean Martinet (died 1672), French inventor of a system of drill

Related formsmar·ti·net·ish, adjectivemar·ti·net·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for martinet

authoritarian, bully, stickler, tyrant, despot, taskmaster, enforcer, drillmaster

Examples from the Web for martinet

Contemporary Examples of martinet

Schiano, the former coach at Rutgers, brought a reputation with him as a harsh disciplinarian and a martinet.
Heads Roll in the NFL: The 5 Coaches Who Lost Their Jobs Today
Ben Jacobs
December 30, 2013

Historical Examples of martinet

One suspected that the flowers had been drilled by a martinet of a gardener.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman
The cat was a martinet in her way, and she demanded all the privileges of her sex.
A Boy I Knew and Four Dogs
Laurence Hutton
If he had been a martinet, it would have been worse for us all.
The Dominant Strain
Anna Chapin Ray
The colonel was something of a martinet, but he was justice incarnate.
The Making Of A Novelist
David Christie Murray
He was a good deal of a martinet, but he was justice incarnate.
Recollections
David Christie Murray

British Dictionary definitions for martinet

martinet

noun

a person who maintains strict discipline, esp in a military force

Derived Formsmartinetish, adjectivemartinetism, noun

Word Origin for martinet

C17: from French, from the name of General Martinet, drillmaster under Louis XIV

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for martinet

1670s, "system of strict discipline," from the name of Jean Martinet (killed at siege of Duisburg, 1672), lieutenant colonel in the Régiment du Roi, who in 1668 was appointed inspector general of the infantry. "It was his responsibility to introduce and enforce the drill and strict discipline of the French regiment of Guards across the whole infantry." [Olaf van Minwegen, "The Dutch Army and the Military Revolutions 1588-1688," 2006] The meaning "an officer who is a stickler for strict discipline" is first attested 1779 in English. The surname is a diminutive of Latin Martinus (see Martin).