Etymology of “Sabotage”

The term “sabotage” comes from the French word sabot, which means “wooden shoe” or “clog.” According to one common story, workers in France, particularly during the industrial revolution, would throw their wooden shoes into machinery to break or halt production as a form of protest. This act symbolized intentional destruction to disrupt the work process.

Evolution of Meaning

The concept evolved over time, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as laborers in various industries took measures to oppose or slow down oppressive working conditions or industrial changes that threatened their jobs. Eventually, the term “sabotage” came to broadly refer to any deliberate action aimed at causing damage, obstruction, or subversion—especially in the context of labor and military activities.

Today, “sabotage” has expanded beyond physical acts and can refer to any intentional act that undermines or obstructs, often used in both literal and metaphorical senses. For example, “sabotaging a project” can mean deliberately causing a project to fail by any means, not necessarily by breaking equipment!