Huguenot

What is the origin of the word Huguenot? Like the word Christian, it was originally used pejoratively, and although we cannot be sure of the origin, it most likely comes from the German word eidgenossen, meaning "confederate." One can imagine people talking disdainfully about "that little group of Protestants, those Huguenots."

Sometimes in English especially people may tend to think of the Huguenots as a particular sect, but in fact the word designates French Protestants in general. So if you are talking about a Huguenot and a French Protestant, you are talking about the same thing.