BharatNotes Sabotage
noun (uncountable); verb (transitive)Usage in a UPSC answer
Intelligence agencies attributed the disruption of railway signalling systems along the strategic Udhampur–Srinagar–Baramulla Rail Link to deliberate sabotage by elements seeking to destabilise civilian connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
saboteur (noun), sabotage (verb), sabotageable (adjective, rare)
Root
French saboter = to clatter with wooden shoes, bungle; from sabot = wooden shoe (clog), of uncertain Turkic or Old French origin
Etymology
The word entered English from French sabotage around 1910, coined during French labour disputes where workers allegedly threw their sabots (wooden clogs) into machinery to halt production — though historians debate whether this actually occurred. The metaphor of deliberately jamming a system proved universally apt and the word spread globally during World War I.
Memory Hook
Picture a French worker throwing his sabot (wooden clog) into a machine — the loud clatter is 'SABOtage.' The wooden shoe = wilful mechanical ruin. Once you picture the clog in the gear, the word is locked.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
Deliberate damage to or obstruction of infrastructure, equipment or processes in order to weaken an adversary. Its GS3 relevance has grown with critical infrastructure protection, since power grids, pipelines, ports and increasingly digital control systems are the targets that matter. Note that sabotage aims at capability, whereas terrorism aims at psychological effect through fear, and the objectives differ even when the method looks similar.
Don’t Confuse It With
Sabotage damages assets or processes to reduce capability. Terrorism seeks psychological and political effect through fear. Vandalism damages without strategic purpose. Espionage extracts information rather than destroying capacity.
Hindi Meaning
तोड़फोड़ (todphod) or विध्वंस (vidhvans).
Common Questions
- What is sabotage?
- Deliberate damage to or obstruction of infrastructure, equipment or processes in order to weaken an opponent's capability.
- How is sabotage different from terrorism?
- Sabotage aims to degrade capability. Terrorism aims primarily at psychological and political effect through the creation of fear.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
