/ˈsɑːrkæzəm/·noun·c. 1550 CE (English), from French sarcasme or directly from Latin sarcasmus·Established
Origin
From Greek sarkazein, 'to tear flesh', via Latin sarcasmus and the same root that gives us sarcophagus ('flesh-eating stone'), sarcasm travelled from a precise rhetorical term for hostile mockery to a casual synonym for verbal irony — the body dissolved into speech.
Definition
A sharp, bitter, or cutting remark delivered in a tone of contemptuous irony, often saying the opposite of what is meant in order to mock or wound.
The Full Story
GreekClassical Greek, 5th century BCE onwardwell-attested
The word 'sarcasm' traces ultimately to the Greek verb sarkazein (σαρκάζειν), literally meaning 'to strip off flesh' or 'to bite the lips in rage,' derived from sarx (σάρξ, genitive sarkos), the Greek word for 'flesh' or 'meat of the body.' The PIEroot is reconstructed as *twerk- (also written *tuerḱ-), carrying the sense of 'to cut, to carve,' cognate with Avestan thwares- meaning 'to cut.' The noun form sarx in Greek referred specifically to the flesh of the body as opposed
Did you know?
The same Greek root *sarx* (flesh) that gives us 'sarcasm' also gives us 'sarcophagus' — literally a 'flesh-eating' stone. Ancient Greeks used limestone coffins they believed consumed the body quickly, and named the stone accordingly. So when youdeploy sarcasm in conversation, you are
form of irony. Quintilian (c. 35–100 CE) discusses it in Institutio Oratoria as a rhetorical device distinct from irony, characterized by its overt hostility. The French sarcasme appears in the 16th century, and English borrowed the word from either French or directly from Latin/Greek in the mid-16th century. Related words sharing the Greek root sarx include sarcophagus (literally 'flesh-eating,' from Greek sarkophagos, referring to limestone believed to consume corpses), sarcoma (a flesh tumor), and the theological term sarx as used by Paul in the New Testament. The semantic journey from 'cutting flesh' to 'cutting words' is one of the most vivid metaphorical transfers in the history of rhetoric. Key roots: *twerk- (Proto-Indo-European: "to cut, to carve"), sarx / sarkos (σάρξ / σαρκός) (Ancient Greek: "flesh, bodily meat"), sarkazein (σαρκάζειν) (Ancient Greek: "to strip flesh, to bite in rage, to sneer").