martinet
[mahr-tn-et, mahr-tn-et]
- a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.
- someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.
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Origin of martinet
1670–80; after General Jean Martinet (died 1672), French inventor of a system of drill
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for martinet
Contemporary Examples
Schiano, the former coach at Rutgers, brought a reputation with him as a harsh disciplinarian and a martinet.
Historical Examples
One suspected that the flowers had been drilled by a martinet of a gardener.
Roden's CornerHenry 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 DogsLaurence Hutton
If he had been a martinet, it would have been worse for us all.
The Dominant StrainAnna Chapin Ray
The colonel was something of a martinet, but he was justice incarnate.
The Making Of A NovelistDavid Christie Murray
He was a good deal of a martinet, but he was justice incarnate.
RecollectionsDavid Christie Murray
martinet
- a person who maintains strict discipline, esp in a military force
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Word Origin
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
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Word Origin and History for martinet
n.
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).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper