Where Did the Word “Bigot” For An Intolerant Person Come From and What Does the Term Mean?

A bigot is someone who is intolerant of any religion, race, group, or politics other than his or her own.

The word began as a curse and was first recorded in English in 1598 as meaning “a superstitious hypocrite.”

The word Bigot originated as “bi got” from a common Old French slur against the Normans that today would be translated as “By God!” with the intended meaning of “God damn it!”

Legend has it that when the first duke of Normandy, Rollo, was ordered to kiss the foot of the French king, Charles III (879-929), he refused by uttering the curse “Bi got!”