sans-culotte

American  

[sanz-kyoo-lot, -koo-, sahn-ky-lawt] / ˌsænz kyʊˈlɒt, -kʊ-, sɑ̃ küˈlɔt /

noun

plural

sans-culottes

1. (in the French Revolution) a revolutionary of the poorer class: originally a term of contempt applied by the aristocrats but later adopted as a popular name by the revolutionaries.

2. any extreme republican or revolutionary.

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sans-culotte British  

/ ˌsænzkjʊˈlɒt, sɑ̃kylɔt /

noun

1. 1. (originally) a revolutionary of the poorer class

   2. (later) any revolutionary, esp one having extreme republican sympathies

2. any revolutionary extremist

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Other Word Forms

• sans-culottic
  adjective
• sans-culottish
  adjective
• sans-culottism
  noun
• sans-culottist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sans-culotte

1780–90; < French: literally, without knee breeches

Explanation

A sans-culotte was a member of a working class political group in 18th- and 19th-century France. The sans-culottes played a large role in the French Revolution. The term sans-culotte means "without breeches" in French. This doesn’t mean that these radical partisans didn’t wear pants, but instead refers to their lower-class status. Wealthy, aristocratic French men typically wore knee-length breeches made of silk, while the working class sans-culottes dressed more practically, in long trousers. The group advocated for direct democracy, taxing the rich, and the idea that everyone was created equal.

Example Sentences

Bastille Day, marking 229 years since the sans-culotte decided they’d had enough of the Ancien Régime and stormed the fortress, a crucial stage of the French Revolution.

From The Guardian • Jul. 14, 2018

He created effective turns for small characters, and the Met’s solid supporting cast includes the robust bass Robert Pomakov as Mathieu, a sans-culotte.

From New York Times • Mar. 25, 2014

A self-styled "evolutionary socialist," he hit the pukka sahibs of Malaya and its environs like a revolutionary sans-culotte.

From Time Magazine Archive

Instead, she gets Seymour Moskowitz, who pursues her with the fierce dedication of a sans-culotte storming the Bastille.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Perhaps now you will admit the justice of my plaint that you did not make a simple purchase of my liberty, as I counselled you, instead of entering into this idiotic compact with that sans-culotte."

From The Trampling of the Lilies by Sabatini, Rafael