boutefeu means an incendiary; an inciter of quarrels. It carries an Arena rating of 1582, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, boutefeu ranks #357 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,428 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #1,438 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,660 of 17,151 for The Improbable.
Why “boutefeu” is a great word
A person who deliberately stirs up conflict, an arsonist of sentiment who kindles discord with inflammatory words or actions. Its etymology is precise: borrowed from French *boutefeu*, from *bouter* ('to thrust, put') + *feu* ('fire'), originally denoting a literal fire-starter. Unlike an 'instigator,' a general term lacking the incendiary spark, or a 'rabble-rouser,' who publicly excites a mob, a *boutefeu* is an agent of controlled combustion, applying the match to private tinder. It is the whispered rumor that reignites a family feud, the carefully planted grievance smoldering between allies, or the precisely timed revelation meant to set former friends at each other's throats—a whisperer of conflagration whose only light is the destructive glow of strife.
Etymology
Borrowed from French boutefeu, from bouter (“to thrust, put”) + feu (“fire”).
noun
- An incendiary; an inciter of quarrels.e.g.“Animated by […] John a Chamber, a very boutefeu, […] they entered into open rebellion.” — 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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