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martinet

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martinet¹

  • /ˈmɑɹtɪnɛt/
  • /mɑɹtɪˈnɛt/
  • /mɑɹtn̩ˈɛt/

Rhymes with -ɛt

Where it comes from

After the example of 17th-century French army officer Jean Martinet.

noun martinets

  1. A strict disciplinarian. Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile ; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
  2. figuratively Anyone who lays stress on a rigid adherence to the details of discipline, or to forms and fixed methods or rules. Before I met Mr. Bowen Cooke I had been given to understand that he was of a reserved nature, and on occasion could be a "bit of a martinet"; [...].
  3. historical A short whip with multiple lashes once used in France.

verb martinets · martineting · martinetting · martineted · martinetted

  1. rare, transitive To discipline strictly.
  2. intransitive, rare To act like a strict disciplinarian.

martinet²

  • /ˈmɑɹtɪnɛt/
  • /mɑɹtɪˈnɛt/
  • /mɑɹtn̩ˈɛt/

Rhymes with -ɛt

noun martinets

  1. rare A martin; a swift.

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MLA

"martinet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/martinet. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

martinet. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/martinet

Chicago

"martinet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/martinet.

BibTeX
@misc{martinet_2026,
  title = {martinet},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/martinet},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}