bohemian

bohemian · noun, adjective¹

1. French · borrowed frombohémien“person from Bohemia”
2. English todaybohemian

Borrowed from French bohémien (“person from Bohemia”), from Bohême (“Bohemia”), equivalent to Bohemia + -an. In 19th century France, Romani people were believed to come from Bohemia (part of present-day Czechia). The term bohémien was then adopted to describe members of the scene of artists and intellectuals who lived unconventional and impoverished lifestyles in Paris, perceived as living like gypsies. Popularized by the 1851 Henri Murger novel Scenes of Bohemian Life (Scènes de la vie de bohème).

Bohemian · noun, adjective, proper noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European*gʷṓws
2. Proto-Celtic*bāus
3. LatinBoiī
4. Proto-Indo-European*ḱey-
5. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóymos
6. Proto-Indo-European*teḱ-
7. Proto-Indo-European*tḱéytibf.
8. Proto-Indo-European*tḱey-
9. Proto-Indo-European*tḱóymos
10. Proto-Germanic*haimaz
11. Late LatinBoiohaemum
12. Middle FrenchBohême
13. FrenchBohême
14. EnglishBohemia
15. Frenchbohémieninflu.
16. English todayBohemian

From Bohemia + -ian. First attested in 1548. In sense of Romani and by association, marginalized artists, from bohémien (“person from Bohemia, Romani”). Regarding the sense evolution, compare gypsy.

First known use, by meaning

• from 16th c. A native or resident of Bohemia.
• from 16th c. A Gypsy, a Romani.
• from 19th c. Alternative letter-case form of bohemian; someone known for flouting social conventions, especially someone involved in the arts.
• from 16th c. Of, or relating to Bohemia or its language.
• from 17th c. The Czech language.