petroleur
Etymology
From French pétroleur.
petroleur means one who lights fires with petrol, especially (historical) a revolutionary who attacked public buildings in this way in Paris in 1871. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “petroleur” is a great word
PETROLEUR — [Noun] One who sets fires using petrol, especially a revolutionary accused of this method in arson attacks during the Paris Commune of 1871. From French pétroleur, from pétrole ("petroleum, oil"). First attested in English in 1875. Unlike "incendiary" (a general term for any fire-setter) or "communard" (a broad supporter of the Commune), petroleur denotes a particular agent of chaos, defined by a specific, viscous tool and a moment of historical panic. It conjures the glug of liquid from a canister onto ornate parquet, the sudden, greasy bloom of flame against a monumental façade, and the acrid scent of accelerant mingling with the dust of older orders—a word born of the fear that revolution might consume the very city it sought to liberate, a label that outlasts the ashes it describes.
noun
- One who lights fires with petrol, especially (historical) a revolutionary who attacked public buildings in this way in Paris in 1871.“Caution was necessary in moving about, the pavement had to be avoided, as the impression conveyed to the mind of the sentry, if he saw anyone near a house, was that it must be a petroleur or a petroleuse.”