Sardonicism

Sardonicism (from Latin: Risus sardonicus, a convulsive laughter) is the expression of derision, cynicism, or skeptical humor variously through comment, gesture, or writing.

Origin

Sardinian Warrior

The etymology of sardonicism as both a word and concept is uncertain. The Byzantine Greek Suda traces its earliest roots to the notion of grinning (Greek: sairō) in the face of danger, or curling one's lips back at evil. Onen\ explanation for a later morph to its more familiar form and connection to laughter (supported by the Oxford English Dictionary) appears to stem from an ancient belief that ingesting the sardonion plant from Sardinia ([Sardō] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) would result in convulsions resembling laughter and, ultimately, death. Another popular explanation lies in the "Sardiniac" theater tradition popular throughout many regions of the Roman Empire. With its origins on the island of Sardinia , this style is known for its biting, satirical wit, reflecting upon the island's frustration with the constant political upheaval, namely the Roman acquisition of the island following the First Punic War. The term a "Sardiniac" joke, meaning characterized by black humor, reached the academic mainstream following the publication of Oxford professor Sir Robert Algrave's "Treatise on Literary and Dramatic Tradition in the Roman and Greek Empires" in 1762.

A root form first appears in Homer as the Ancient Greek sardánios, Odysseus, smiling "sardonically" when attacked by one of his wife's erstwhile suitors upon his return to Ithaca.

From the [sardónios] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help) evolved the Latin: sardonius, thence the French: sardonique, and ultimately the familiar English adjectival form, sardonic.

See also

• Risus sardonicus, a symptom of Tetanus (infection with Clostridium tetani)
• Ranunculus
• Schadenfreude
• Sarcasm

References

"Entry: Online Etymology Dictionary". Retrieved 2008-10-30.