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Origin and history of lampoon

lampoon(n.)

"A personal satire; abuse; censure written not to reform but to vex" [Johnson], 1640s, from French lampon (17c.), a word of unknown origin, said by French etymologists to be from lampons "let us drink," which is said to have been a popular refrain for scurrilous songs, in which case it would be originally a drinking song. French lampons is from lamper "to drink, guzzle," a nasalized form of laper "to lap," from a Germanic source akin to lap (v.1). Also see -oon.

The difference between lampoon and pasquinade is not great, but perhaps a lampoon is more malicious, more directly aimed to insult and degrade, while a pasquinade is shorter and of a lighter nature. [Century Dictionary, 1895]

lampoon(v.)

"write lampoons against," 1650s, from lampoon (n.), or else from French lamponner, from the French noun. Related: Lampooned; lampooning; lampooner; lampoonry (Swift).

also from 1650s

Entries linking to lampoon

lap(v.1)

"lick up (liquid), take into the mouth with the tongue," as dogs and cats do, Middle English lapen, from Old English lapian "to lap up, drink," from Proto-Germanic *lapojan, which is reconstructed to be from PIE imitative base *lab- (source also of Greek laptein "to sip, lick," Latin lambere "to lick"), indicative of licking, lapping, smacking lips. French laper "lick," lamper "drink" are said to be from Low German.

Of water, "splash gently, flow or ripple against" it is recorded by 1823, based on similarity of sound. Figurative use of lap (something) up "receive eagerly" is by 1890. Related: Lapped; lapping.

The noun meaning "liquid food; weak beverage" is recorded from 1560s. Bailey's dictionary (1731) has lappy "drunk."

Germanic cognates include Old High German laffen "to lick," Old Saxon lepil, Dutch lepel, German Löffel "spoon."

pasquinade(n.)

also Pasquin, "a libelous public lampoon," 1650s, from French, from Italian pasquinata (c. 1500), from Pasquino, name given to a mutilated ancient statue (now known to represent Menelaus dragging the dead Patroclus) set up by Cardinal Caraffa in his palace in Rome in 1501; the locals named it after a schoolmaster (or tailor, or barber) named Pasquino who lived nearby. A custom developed of posting satirical verses and lampoons on the statue.

-oon

spelling conventional in 15c.-17c. English to add emphasis to borrowed French nouns ending in stressed -on; also used to represent Italian -one, Spanish -ón; all from Latin -onem. Compare shalloon (1670s) for French chalon, a kind of material used for linings. The ending is used occasionally to form words in English, such as spittoon, quadroon, and some older ones no longer with us, such as shabberoon "disreputable person" (c. 1700).

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