quisling en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈkwɪz.lɪŋ/
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Named after Norwegian military officer Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945), who ruled the Nazi collaborationist government of Norway during World War Two. From Quislinus, Latinization of Quislin, based on the Danish place name Kvislemark. This term first appeared in 1940. The surname is seemingly supposed to mean "one who is from Kvislemark", and is equivalent to Kvisle(mark) + -ing (suffix designating a person of a certain origin or with certain qualities). However, the earlier form of the name, Quislinus/Quislin, appears to have been a fanciful coinage based upon Kvisle(mark) + Latin -inus (“suffix indicating a relationship of position, possession, or origin”), and only later on came to be reinterpreted as containing Norwegian -ing (“suffix designating a person of a certain origin or with certain qualities”). Kvislemark is composed of Danish kvissel (“cleft branch”) + mark (compare Danmark). kvissel itself is a derivative of Old Norse kvísl (“fork [as in a 'fork in the road']”), which ultimately comes (by dissimilation) from Proto-Germanic *twīsilō. Cognates include Old English twisla (“confluence, junction, fork of a river or road”) and Old High German zwisila (“forked implement, twig, branch”). Ultimately related to English twistle, twissel, and twizzle. By surface analysis, quisle + -ing.
Meanings
-
(derogatory) A traitor who collaborates with the enemy.
If, in the nation about to be attacked, influential persons were discovered who could be bribed or corrupted, German agents made use of these quislings.
1944, Ralph D. Casey, EM 2: What Is Propaganda?^(https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundtable-series/pamphlets/em-2-what-is-propaganda-(1944)/enemy-propaganda), War Department:In many countries, including some where the Jews were neither numerically strong nor in possession of important posts, these envoys of the German Secret Service have been able, solely by the use of anti-Jewish slogans, to create those "national" Fascist movements from which Quislings are bred.
1940, Walter Tschuppik, The Quislings: Hitler's Trojan Horses, Hutchinson, page 7:He sees off an attack from humans, who have as servants certain quisling apes, former followers of Caesar’s traitorous ex-comrade Koba (a motion-capture performance from Toby Kebbell).
2017 June 26, Peter Bradshaw, “War for the Planet of the Apes review”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 02 Mar 2023:It is time to clear out the quislings and paid flunkies of city hall and big business.
1983 December 17, Tom Reeves, “The Scondras Victory”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 22, page 5:The man she cherishes, the man she butterfly-kisses, the man she sleeps curved around like two spoons in a drawer. It is he who is evil, he who is sworn to destroy her, an emotional quisling of the first water.
1993, Will Self, My Idea of Fun:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| quislings | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| Quisling | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
quislingize · quislingism · Quislingism · quisler · quisle · quislingized · quisling-style
Synonyms
rat · quisler · cockatrice · withersake · collaborator · collaboratrix · recreant · renegade · snake in the grass · wolf in sheep's clothing · backstabber · traitor · collaborationist · collaborator · turntippet · traitor · treasonist · treacher · quisling · serpent · quisling · collaboratress · swike · double-crosser · jackal · rat · treacherer · snake · betrayer · ratter
Translations (55)
sv quisling (traitor) · ru кви́слинг (traitor) · ru коллаборациони́ст (traitor) · ca col·laboracionista (traitor) · nn kvisling (traitor) · cmn 通敵者 /通敌者 (traitor) · es colaboracionista (traitor) · sv femtekolonnare (traitor) · cs kolaborant (traitor) · ja 売国奴 (traitor) · es traidor (traitor) · cmn 賣國賊 /卖国贼 (traitor) · bn গদ্দার (traitor) · ru преда́тель (traitor) · nb landssviker (traitor) · da quisling (traitor) · mk квислинг (traitor) · uk зра́дник (traitor) · bg предател (traitor) · nn landssvikar (traitor) · nl landverrader (traitor) · ko 매국노 (traitor) · hy կվիսլինգ (traitor) · sl kvizling (traitor) · de Kollaborateur (traitor) · el προδότης (traitor) · pt quisling (traitor) · fi quisling (traitor) · ja 国賊 (traitor) · nb landsforræder (traitor) · nl NSB'er (traitor) · fr quisling (traitor) · da landsforræder (traitor) · mk предавник (traitor) · mk колаборационист (traitor) · nn landsforrædar (traitor) · nb quisling (traitor) · nn quisling (traitor) · pl kolaborant (traitor) · fr collabo (traitor) · bn মীর জাফর (traitor) · cs zrádce (traitor) · pl kolaborantka (traitor) · mk измеќар (traitor) · fi maanpetturi (traitor) · el δωσίλογος (traitor) · sv landsförrädare (traitor) · de Verräter (traitor) · ru изме́нник (traitor) · bg изменник (traitor) · pl zdrajczyni (traitor) · nl quisling (traitor) · sk kvisling (traitor) · pl zdrajca (traitor) · el κουίσλινγκ (traitor)