De la Terreur au terrorisme : une histoire lexicographique du mot « terrorisme » et de sa famille morphologique au xixe siècle

Abstract

This article analyses, through the study of 63 French dictionaries, the semantic evolutions of the concept of terrorism and of its morphological family (terrorist, terror, terrorise, etc.) during the 19th century. First coined in 1794 to retrospectively and pejoratively refer to the period known as la Terreur, the concept of terrorism soon became a label designating any revolutionary considered as overly radical. Then, through the slow generalisation of its meaning, the concept eventually ended up characterising both “extremes”, be they revolutionary or reactionary, thus legitimising liberal moderation in comparison – itself a product of 1789 but which is now on the side of the status quo. Ultimately, these evolutions appear to reflect the crucial ambiguity on which the contemporary concept of terrorism has been built – still torn today between the designation and condemnation of ideologies that are deemed inacceptable, and the qualification of acts that are considered criminal.

Keywords

• terrorism
• conceptual history
• lexicography
• 19th century