Where does “Greekism” come from?
Greekism (English) comes from English greek, from Old English Grēcas, from Esperanto kreko, from Latin Graecus, from Ancient Greek Γραικός, from Ancient Greek γραῖα, from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- — to grow old, to mature.
Ancestry of “Greekism”, step by step
Greekism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English greek
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | greek | Alternative letter-case form of Greek; To display... |
| 2 | Old English | Grēcas | the Greeks; Greeks |
| 3 | Esperanto | kreko | teal |
| 4 | Latin | Graecus | Greek, Grecian, of or pertaining to the Greek... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Γραικός | Greek; a Graecian, a member of an ancient... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | γραῖα | Graea, Boeotia; Greece |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via English ism
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |