I’ve spent a lot of time Googling various versions of “derivation of army brat” in an attempt to find out when the term was first used. Also found one old thread here, but it did not answer the Q. All to no avail. Even Wikipedia went on at great length on the subject without providing that information, unless I missed it in all the verbiage.
Anybody know when, where and how it originated? I’m guessing some time after WWI.
And while I’m at it, anybody know of a good website for searching for the derivation of English words?
I assume you read the earlier thread in which tomndebb offered that “brat” goes back to the 1600’s, and I offered that “army brat” appears in print around the early 1930’s. I haven’t been able to find anything else to explain it.
From Etymology Online:
“brat
c.1505, slang, “beggar’s child,” originally northern, midlands and western England dialect “makeshift or ragged garment,” probably the same word as O.E. bratt “cloak,” from a Celtic source (cf. O.Ir. bratt “cloak, cloth”). The modern meaning is perhaps from notion of “child’s apron.” Bratty is first recorded 1961.”
From Wikipedia on “Etymological Fallacy”:
“Reclaiming
Reclaiming is the process by which an oppressed minority group adopts a formerly pejorative term for themselves and uses it in a positive manner. Examples would include faggot, dyke, (homosexuals), nigger (African Americans), redneck and military brat. Note that the reclaimed words are sometimes still seen as insulting if used by “outsiders”. The political terms “Whig” and “Tory” were formerly insulting also, being names for outlaws.”
It looks like it was once an insult to describe Army kids which turned into a positive descriptive term.
Army Brat, while found as early as 1931, wasn’t in general use until WWII, around 1940-45. By then it got quite a bit of use. And, it quite often referred to women. About half the time. I know this doesn’t really answer the questions, but it all helps.