The Rich Origin of The Word “Patriot”
Where did this word come from?
The word patriot is laden with history. During the American Revolution, rebels fighting against the British Empire were called Patriots by both sides. Since the Revolutionary War, the word patriot has been used to describe loyal Americans and people who are gung-ho about the United States. Today, many people on the right have coopted the word patriot to differentiate themselves from people who they don’t see as true Americans. It has also been the mascot for one of the most successful football franchises of all time, the New England Patriots. But where did this word come from? What does Patriot actually mean?
The Root of the Word Patriot
The immediate root word for patriot is the Middle French word patriote, which means compatriot. But saying patriot means compatriot doesn’t tell us much and is only a fraction of the whole story. The word patriot actually has a rich linguistic history that goes back multiple, multiple generations all the way back to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
The word patriote is derived from the Late Latin word patriōta, meaning fellow countryman. Patriōta is derived from the ancient Greek word patriṓtēs (πατριώτης), meaning of the same country. Patriṓtēs is derived from the ancient Greek word patrís, which…
