DictionaryRoot: Chauvin
French

Chauvin

name of a theatrically devoted Napoleonic soldier

1 / 1
At a simple club table, a member proudly clutches his group's plain blue pennant while dismissively refusing an equally prepared visitor wearing a different group color.
noun

chauvinism

SHOH-vih-niz-um/ˈʃəʊvɪnɪzəm/

An excessive conviction that one's group is superior to others.

Etymology

Chauvin was a theatrical soldier whose devotion to Napoleon outlasted the Empire. His name became a label for blind nationalism, later broadened to prejudiced claims of superiority for other groups.

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