sansculotte

sans·cu·lotte

noun \ˌsanz-ku̇-ˈlät, -kyu̇-\

Definition of SANSCULOTTE

1

: an extreme radical republican in France at the time of the French Revolution

2

: a radical or violent extremist in politics

— sans·cu·lott·ic \-ˈlä-tik\ adjective

— sans·cu·lott·ish \-tish\ adjective

— sans·cu·lott·ism \-ˌti-zəm\ noun

Origin of SANSCULOTTE

French sans-culotte, literally, without breeches

First Known Use: 1790

Rhymes with SANSCULOTTE

aeronaut, aliquot, angle shot, apparat, apricot, aquanaut, argonaut, astronaut, beauty spot, bergamot, booster shot, burning ghat, cachalot, Camelot, caveat, carry-cot, chamber pot, chimney pot, coffeepot, cosmonaut, counterplot, doodley-squat, floreat, flowerpot, flying spot, follow shot, gallipot, granny knot, guillemot, Gujarat, hit the spot, honeypot, Hottentot, Huguenot, juggernaut, kilowatt, Lancelot, like a shot, lobster pot, megawatt, melting pot, microdot, monocot, monoglot, noble rot, Nouakchott, ocelot, on the spot, overshot, paraquat, parking lot, passing shot, patriot, pepper pot, peridot, piping hot, polka dot, polyglot, running knot, samizdat, scattershot, scot and lot, shoulder knot, single knot, Southern blot, stopper knot, surgeon's knot, terawatt, tie the knot, tommyrot, touch-me-not, tracking shot, turkey trot, underplot, undershot, Western blot, Windsor knot, Wyandot, wyandotte

sansculotte

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

(French sans-culotte, “without breeches”) In the French Revolution, one of the ill-clad and ill-equipped volunteers of the Revolutionary army; also a Parisian ultrademocrat of the Revolution. The working-class sansculottes wore long trousers to distinguish themselves from the upper classes, who wore knee-breeches (culotte). Allied with the Jacobins (see Jacobin Club) in the Reign of Terror, sansculottes included ultrademocrats of all classes. Their influence waned after the fall of Maximilien Robespierre in 1794. See also Jacques Hébert.