Huguenot
/ˈhjuː.ɡə.nɒt/noun
A member of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Did you know?The name Huguenot was first used as an outsider label for French Protestants, and scholars still argue whether it came from a local political nickname, a personal name, or a Germanic term tied to secret nighttime meetings.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
French
Huguenot
“A French Protestant, especially one of the Reformed faith.”
16th Century
French
Eidgenossen
“A proposed source in some theories, meaning confederates or oath-comrades, though this derivation is disputed.”
16th Century
French
Hugues
“A personal name sometimes proposed as part of the nickname's origin.”
Modern Scholarship
Historical Linguistics
Uncertain
“The word's origin remains unresolved; several competing explanations exist, but none is universally accepted.”