entry
caricature
/ˈkærɪkətʃʊr/Exaggerated representation for comic or satirical effect
From Latin carr (Wagon).
from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon" (see car ). The Italian form had been used in English
+1 more sourcefrom Italian caricatura "satirical picture; an exaggeration," literally "an overloading,"
+1 more sourcefrom French caricature (18c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French caricature (18c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin carrus "two-wheeled wagon" (see car ). The Italian form had been used in English
+1 more sourcefrom Italian caricatura "satirical picture; an exaggeration," literally "an overloading,"
+1 more sourcefrom French caricature (18c.)
+1 more sourcefrom French caricature (18c.)
+1 more sourcePicture a Roman cart piled so high that the load itself becomes the joke: that is the image hiding inside caricature. Latin carrus meant a two-wheeled wagon, and its descendant caricare meant “to load”; in Italian, an “overloading” became caricatura, a picture that piles on one conspicuous feature until a face turns into a visual punchline. The Italian term was circulating in English by the 1680s, while the English noun is recorded by 1748, just as satirical portraiture was flourishing in European print culture. A large nose, a politician’s eyebrows, a movie star’s chin—caricature keeps enough of the original person to make recognition part of the fun. And despite its tempting resemblance, it is not related to character: character comes from Greek kharaktēr, “engraving tool” or “distinctive mark,” while caricature began with a cart carrying too much.
The Story
Picture a Roman cart piled so high that the load itself becomes the joke: that is the image hiding inside caricature. Latin carrus meant a two-wheeled wagon, and its descendant caricare meant “to load”; in Italian, an “overloading” became caricatura, a picture that piles on one conspicuous feature until a face turns into a visual punchline. The Italian term was circulating in English by the 1680s, while the English noun is recorded by 1748, just as satirical portraiture was flourishing in European print culture. A large nose, a politician’s eyebrows, a movie star’s chin—caricature keeps enough of the original person to make recognition part of the fun. And despite its tempting resemblance, it is not related to character: character comes from Greek kharaktēr, “engraving tool” or “distinctive mark,” while caricature began with a cart carrying too much.
Kin & Kindred
From 'carr'·Wagon, cart; figuratively, an exaggerated load
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary