Etymology Map
Back to all words

Caricature

3 stages from Italian to English.

Today it means a picture exaggerating a person's features for comic effect

Where does the word "caricature" come from? It comes from Italian caricare, passing through Italian before entering English (1740s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
caricare
Italian · medieval
"to load"
to load, overload
2
Stage 2 of 3
caricatura
Italian · 1600s
"exaggerated portrait"
'an overloading'; the Bolognese painter Annibale Carracci is credited with the art of exaggerated portraits
3
Stage 3 of 3
caricature
English · 1740s
"comic exaggeration"
came via French; William Hogarth and James Gillray made it a British art
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Caricature’s story begins in Italian: caricare meant “to load.” To load, overload. Within Italian, it grew into caricatura by 1600s. 'an overloading'; the Bolognese painter Annibale Carracci is credited with the art of exaggerated portraits. It reached English by 1740s as caricature. Came via French; William Hogarth and James Gillray made it a British art. Today, caricature means a picture exaggerating a person's features for comic effect.