Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Bohemian By Etymonline

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Origin and history of bohemian

bohemian(n.)

"a gypsy of society; person (especially an artist) who lives a free and somewhat dissipated life, despising conventionalities and having little regard for social standards," 1848, from a transferred sense of French bohemién "a Bohemian; a Gypsy," from the country name (see Bohemia). The Middle English word for "a resident or native of Bohemia" was Bemener.

The French used bohemién since 15c. to also mean "Gypsy." The Roma were wrongly believed to have come from there, perhaps because their first appearance in Western Europe may have been immediately from Bohemia, or because they were confused with the 15c. Bohemian Hussite heretics, who were driven from their country about that time.

The transferred sense, in reference to unconventional living, is attested in French by 1834 and was popularized by Henri Murger's stories from the late 1840s later collected as "Scenes de la Vie de Boheme" (the basis of Puccini's "La Bohème"). It appears in English 1848 in Thackary's "Vanity Fair."

The term 'Bohemian' has come to be very commonly accepted in our day as the description of a certain kind of literary gipsey, no matter in what language he speaks, or what city he inhabits .... A Bohemian is simply an artist or littérateur who, consciously or unconsciously, secedes from conventionality in life and in art. [Westminster Review, 1862]

Hence also the adjective, "unconventional, free from social restraints" (1848).

also from 1848

Entries linking to bohemian

Bohemia

central European kingdom, mid-15c., Beeme, from French Boheme "Bohemia," from Latin Boiohaemum (Tacitus), from Boii, the Celtic people who settled in what is now Bohemia (and were driven from it by the Germanic Marcomans early 1c.; singular Boius, fem. Boia, perhaps literally "warriors") + Proto-Germanic *haimaz "home" (see home (n.)). Attested from 1861 in meaning "community of artists and social Bohemians" or in reference to a district where they live (see bohemian).

Gypsy(n.)

also gipsy, c. 1600, alteration of gypcian, a worn-down Middle English dialectal form of egypcien "Egyptian," from the supposed origin of the people. As an adjective, from 1620s. Compare British gippy (1889) a modern shortened colloquial form of Egyptian.

Cognate with Spanish Gitano and close in sense to Turkish and Arabic Kipti "gypsy," literally "Coptic;" but in Middle French they were Bohémien (see bohemian), and in Spanish also Flamenco "from Flanders." "The gipsies seem doomed to be associated with countries with which they have nothing to do" [Weekley]. Zingari, the Italian and German name, is of unknown origin. Romany is from the people's own language, a plural adjective form of rom "man." Gipsy was the preferred spelling in England. The name is also in extended use applied to "a person exhibiting any of the qualities attributed to Gipsies, as darkness of complexion, trickery in trade, arts of cajolery, and, especially as applied to a young woman, playful freedom or innocent roguishness of action or manner" [Century Dictionary]. As an adjective from 1620s with a sense "unconventional; outdoor."

hobo(n.)

"a tramp," 1889, Western U.S., of unknown origin. Barnhart compares early 19c. English dialectal hawbuck "lout, clumsy fellow, country bumpkin." Or possibly from ho, boy, a workers' call on late 19c. western U.S. railroads. Facetious formation hobohemia, "community or life of hobos," is from 1923 (see bohemian).

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Trends of bohemian

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

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Czechwesternmost branch of the Slavic people," the native name for Bohemians (and including the Moravians), 1848, from Czech český "Bohemian...droogThe Russian word comes from Old Church Slavonic drugu "companion, friend, other" (source of Bohemian drug "companion," Serbo-Croatian...boothalso bower, and compare German Bude "booth, stall," Middle Dutch boode, Lithuanian butas "house," Old Irish both "hut," Bohemian...Bloomsbury1910, in reference to the set of Bohemian writers, artists, and intellectuals (including E.M....yearsingular) "year;" Greek hōra "year, season, any part of a year," also "any part of a day, hour;" Old Church Slavonic jaru, Bohemian...bourgeoisDialogues," 1907] "But after all," Fanning was saying, "it's better to be a good ordinary bourgeois than a bad ordinary bohemian...ape, German affe), probably a borrowed word, perhaps from Celtic (compare Old Irish apa, Welsh epa) or Slavic (compare Old Bohemian...recusant"obstinate in refusal," 1610s, from Latin recusantem (nominative recusans) "refusing to obey," present participle of recusare "make an objection against; decline, refuse, reject; be reluctant to" (see recuse). Earlier as a noun in English history, specifically of those who refusenonconformistalso non-conformist, "one who does not conform to some law or usage," 1610s, originally and especially of clergymen who adhered to Church of England doctrine but not its practice, from non- + conformist. After their ejection under the Act of Uniformity (1662) the name passed to tIndian"inhabit of India or South Asia; pertaining to India," c. 1300 (noun and adjective), from Late Latin indianus, from India (see India). Applied to the aboriginal native inhabitants of the Americas from at least 1553 as a noun (1610s as an adjective), reflecting Spanish and Portugu

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/bohemianCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/bohemian">Etymology of bohemian by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of bohemian. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved December 17, 2025, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/bohemianCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of bohemian," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed December 17, 2025, https://www.etymonline.com/word/bohemian.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of bohemian." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/bohemian. Accessed 17 December, 2025.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of bohemian." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/bohemian (accessed December 17, 2025).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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