martinet Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms
moralist; disciplinarian.

So called from an officer of that name in the French army under Louis XIV. Cf. Martin the bird, Martlet.

In military language, a strict disciplinarian; in general, one who lays stress on a rigid adherence to the details of discipline, or to forms and fixed methods. Hence, the word is commonly employed in a depreciatory sense.