martinet

/ˌˈmɑrtnˌˈɛt/

Other forms: martinets

Use the noun martinet to describe someone who is a stickler when it comes to following rules, such as the teacher who won't accept homework if it is written in a color other than blue.

Pronounce martinet with the accent on the last syllable: "mar-ti-NET." Jean Martinet, the man for whom the word was coined, would insist you say his name correctly. He was a legendary drillmaster for the French army during the reign of Louis XIV. In 1779, a hundred years after Martinet's death, martinet came to mean any officer who was as strict and demanding in adhering to the rules as Martinet himself.

Definitions of martinet

1. noun

   someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms
   synonyms: disciplinarian, moralist

   types:

   stickler

   someone who insists on something

   type of:

   authoritarian, dictator

   a person who behaves in a tyrannical manner