chauvinism

Etymology

Borrowed from French chauvinisme (“idealistic devotion to Napoleon”), named for Nicolas Chauvin, a legendary and excessively patriotic soldier of the French First Republic. The figure of Chauvin became especially famous as a character in the play La Cocarde Tricolore by the Cogniard brothers. The surname is from Latin Calvīnus, a Roman cognomen (whence also the surname Calvin and thereby English Calvinism), from the adjective calvus (“bald”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kl̥H- (“bald”)).

noun

1. (derogatory) Excessive patriotism, eagerness for national superiority; jingoism.
2. (derogatory) Unwarranted bias, favoritism, or devotion to one's own particular group, cause, or idea.
   Feminists say that male chauvinism is still prevalent in cultures worldwide.
   “This is an outrageous example of unconscious racial chauvinism!” Jack said. 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 312