Authoritative answer
Exact answer
Sarcasm comes through French and Late Latin from Greek sarkazein, associated with tearing flesh and then bitter or cutting speech.
Scope: Recorded English etymology and sense history; reviewed July 31, 2026.
Important boundary: The violent root is etymological history, not the modern dictionary definition by itself.
Evidence
Quick answer
A short etymology card for sarcasm: origin, meaning history, memorable hook, and source-language context.
Source-first
Reviewed Sep 2026
Origin story
From sarkazein, to tear flesh, later verbal biting or bitter speech.
Why it sticks
The old root is more violent than the modern eye roll.
Shareable cardSarcasm: The old root is more violent than the modern eye roll.