GC: n

S: http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/mainlander/6742485/War-hero-or-a-braggart (last access: 18 March 2016); http://humanitariannews.org/20160222/trumping-jesus-or-thoughts-about-leadership-sunday (last access: 18 March 2016).

N: 1. Late 16th century: from French bragard, from braguer ‘to brag’.
2. A person who boasts about their achievements or possessions.
3. 1570s, from French bragard (16c.), with pejorative ending (see -ard) + Middle French braguer “to flaunt, brag,” perhaps originally “to show off clothes, especially breeches,” from brague “breeches” (see bracket). There may be an element of codpiece-flaunting in all this.
4. The word in English has been at least influenced by brag (v.), even if, as some claim, it is unrelated to it. Bragger “arrogant or boastful person,” agent noun from brag (v.), attested in English from late 14c.
5. Cultural interrelation based on French fier-à-bras: The romance of Fierabras (13th century) was one of the most popular in the 15th century, and by later additions came to have pretensions to be a complete history of Charlemagne. The first part represents an episode in Spain three years before Roncesvalles, in which Oliver defeats the Saracen giant Fierabras in single combat, and converts him. The hero of the second part is Gui de Bourgogne, who recovers the relics of the Passion, lost in the siege of Rome. Otinel (13th century) is also pure fiction.

S: 1 & 2. OD – http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/braggart?q=braggart (last access: 29 July 2014). 3 & 4. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=braggart&searchmode=none (last access: 3 September 2014). 5. http://www.studylight.org/encyclopedia/bri/view.cgi?n=6464 (last access: 29.07.2014); FCB.

SYN: blower, blowhard, boaster, brag, braggadocio, bragger, cockalorum, cracker (chiefly dialect), gascon, gasconader, swaggerer, vaunter. (depending on field and context)

S: MW – http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braggart (last access: 29 July 2014)