Word of the Week – Patriot

Original post published July 4, 2011.

I love being an American. I’m proud of my country, I admire our roots, and I truly believe in the ideals on which we were founded. I will sing “God Bless America” from the top of my lungs! I don’t think my country’s perfect by any means–but it’s mine. I’m a patriot.

But patriot wasn’t always a good thing! It’s an old word, tracing its roots back to the Greek “patriotes,” which means “fellow-countryman,” which of course comes from “patrios”–of one’s father, and “patris”–fatherland. In the early 1600s, patriot had gained the meaning of “one who is a loyal supporter of one’s country.” But in the mid-18th century, it became a term of derision–it had come to be applied to those whose passion led to divisiveness and disturbance of the government.

So when Americans were branded as Patriots, it sure wasn’t a compliment. But in true Yankee fashion, we took what was meant as an insult and turned it into a badge of honor. Though the word still retains negative connotations in other parts of the English-speaking world, Americans wave the flag of patriotism with truly old-fashioned delight.