caricature
/ˈkærɪkətʃʊər/
noun
Origin
Italian
caricare — to load, to surcharge, to exaggerate
Overview
Meaning Now
- A picture, description, or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect.
- A comically or grotesquely exaggerated representation or version of someone or something.
Literal older meaning
to overload or exaggerate
Language path
Latin → Italian → French → English
Earliest form
caricatura
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The concept of the caricature was popularized in the late 16th century by the Carracci brothers, Italian painters who viewed the practice as a way to capture the 'essence' of a subject by exaggerating their features, rather than merely creating a realistic likeness.
Evolution
- Late Latin
carricare
“to load onto a cart”
- 16th-century Italian
caricare
“to exaggerate or overload (in artistic context)”
Used by Annibale Carracci to describe drawing that emphasizes the soul rather than physical accuracy.
- 17th-century Italian
caricatura
“an exaggerated drawing”
- 18th-century French
caricature
“a grotesque portrait”
- 18th-century English
caricature
“a comically distorted representation”
Connections
Word parts
caric-
root
load, burden, or charge
-ature
suffix
denoting a process or result
Related across languages
Italian
caricatura
caricature
French
caricature
Related words
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Related to caricature
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.