Voltaire

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A prominent French philosopher and writer known for his advocacy of civil liberties, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state
2. An influential 18th-century intellectual celebrated for his wit, criticism of established authority, and contributions to the Enlightenment
3. A key figure in French literature whose works often challenged societal norms and promoted reason and individual rights

Etymology: Voltaire was the pen name of François-Marie Arouet, the French writer and philosopher whose wit made him the most famous critic of church and state in eighteenth-century Europe. He adopted the name in the 1720s, and it is the name that has outlived the man's birth name by a wide margin. Nobody knows for certain where the pseudonym came from, though it has been linked to an anagram of his surname and the Latin spelling of "le jeune," a guess that remains uncertain. The word has since travelled far from Paris. In English it is borrowed directly from French, and as a surname it is most common today in Haiti, where families carry it independently of any connection to the philosopher. Such names are often inherited through the generations rather than chosen for their associations.

Synonyms: philosopher, writer, satirist