Ritzy Comes From a Hotelier's Surname
Ritz means ostentatious luxury. The word is the name of a Swiss hotel manager.
Ritz means ostentatious luxury, chiefly in *ritzy* and *putting on the ritz*. It is a surname: CĂ©sar Ritz, the Swiss hotelier who opened the Paris Ritz in 1898 and the London Ritz in 1906, whose name became a byword for luxury within a generation. Irving Berlin's 1929 song *Puttin' on the Ritz* fixed the phrase. Ritz began as a shepherd's son and was once sacked for being unsuited to hotel work, which makes the eponym doubly unlikely.
- Ostentatious luxury. *Putting on the ritz.*
- Ritzy â luxurious. *A ritzy hotel.*
- CĂ©sar Ritz â the hotelier. *CĂ©sar Ritz.*
- An eponym. *An eponym.*
- A surname â the origin. *Ritz.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | ritz | The ritz. |
| Adjective | ritzy | Ritzy. |
| Phrase | put on the ritz | Putting on the ritz. |
| Term | eponym | An eponym. |
| Origin | CĂ©sar Ritz | CĂ©sar Ritz. |
- A ritzy neighbourhood.Luxury.
- Puttin' on the Ritz.Song.
- Ritz was a Swiss hotelier.History.
Words from surnames
- Ritzy â from CĂ©sar Ritz
- Boycott â from Captain Charles Boycott
- Sandwich â from the Earl of Sandwich
- Silhouette â from Ătienne de Silhouette
- Diesel â from Rudolf Diesel
From the surname of CĂ©sar Ritz, Swiss hotelier, recorded as an adjective from about 1920.
Who was Ritz?
CĂ©sar Ritz, a Swiss hotelier who founded the Paris and London Ritz hotels, whose name became shorthand for luxury.
What is an eponym?
A word formed from a person's name, such as boycott, sandwich or ritzy.