English
marionette
Marionette comes from French marionnette ‘marionette, puppet’, from Marie ‘Mary’, and ultimately from Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם.
- Biblical Hebrewc. 1000–200 BCEמִרְיָםmiryɔm
- Aramaicc. 1000 BCE–700 CEמרים
- Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEΜᾰρῐ́ᾱMărĭ́ā
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEMarīa
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400Marie
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘Mary’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmarionnette‘marionette, puppet’
- Englishearliest quotation 1885marionette
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Biblical Hebrewc. 1000–200 BCEמִרְיָםmiryɔm
- Aramaicc. 1000 BCE–700 CEמרים
- Koine Greekc. 300 BCE–600 CEΜᾰρῐ́ᾱMărĭ́ā
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEMarīa
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400Marie
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘Mary’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentmarionnette‘marionette, puppet’
- Englishearliest quotation 1885marionette
Earliest quotation: 1885, William Schwenck Gilbert; Arthur Sulliva, The Town of Titipu: “If you think we are worked by strings, Like…”
The story
The word had originally meant a small statue of the Virgin Mary, then also a puppet of her used in religious theatrical presentations, finally generalised to any puppet.
Linked words
through Old French Marie
Today it means
noun A puppet, usually made of wood, which is animated by the pulling of strings.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Biblical Hebrew מִרְיָם / marionette