Supposedly martinet comes from the name of the eponymous 17th century Inspector General of France ("one of the first great drill masters of modern times" according to the Key of All Knowledge). Martelen and marteler both share a root in Middle French martel "hammer" (a corruption of Latin martulus "idem."). But there the resemblance ends, since the extended meaning of the French verb (and the usage in which I first encountred the term) is "to pound [home]", e.g. marteler le message.
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Any thoughts on structuralism?
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