Word of the week

martinet:  / ˌmɑːtɪˈnɛt  / 

(noun)  A person who demands complete obedience to rules and orders, even when unnecessary or unreasonable; a person who stresses rigid adherence to the details of processes or methods; one who metes out harsh punishment for failing to follow arbitrary rules exactly.  (Synonyms: disciplinarian, autocrat, tyrant, despot).

[Late 17C., after Jean Martinet (d. 1672), French Army officer noted for developing a harsh but effective drill system. A brutal disciplinarian, he was shot dead in battle by his own soldiers].

le martinet: / maʀtinɛ / (French)

(noun, masculine) = a swift (bird).  Swifts are a family of highly aerial birds, similar in appearance but not closely related to swallows. Some species of swifts are among the fastest animals on the planet, achieving flight at speeds over 110 km/h. 

(noun, masculine) = a whip.  A scourge-like whip made of a wooden handle with ten or more lashes or tails, usually made of thin leather cords. In the past it was used in France to punish children, inflicting both pain and humiliation to instill coercive, fear-based obedience. Flogging or whipping a child is generally considered to be abuse.