Caricature
/ˈkær.ɪ.kə.tʃʊər/noun
A picture, description, or imitation that deliberately exaggerates someone’s features or traits for comic effect.
Did you know?Caricature comes from Italian *caricare* (“to load, charge”), the same root behind *cargo* and *charge*—so the word’s original magic was the idea of piling on excess until truth turned grotesque.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
carricare
“to load, burden”
16th Century
Italian
caricare
“to load, exaggerate, make heavier”
17th Century
Italian
caricatura
“an exaggerated portrait or representation”
17th Century
French
caricature
“a loaded, exaggerated drawing or description”
18th Century
English
caricature
“an exaggerated portrait, drawing, or literary imitation”