Where does “Jainism” come from?
Jainism derives from Jain through the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός, itself from -μός, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -mós, a formative element creating abstract nouns denoting states or conditions.
Jainism (English): An ancient Dharmic religion, with a focus on nonviolence and personal effort to elevate the reincarnating soul towards moksha by liberating it from samsara
Definitions
- An ancient Dharmic religion, with a focus on nonviolence and personal effort to elevate the reincarnating soul towards moksha by liberating it from samsara
Ancestry of “Jainism”, step by step
Jainism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French jaïnisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | jaïnisme | Jainism |
| 2 | French | -ïsme | -ism, variant of -isme following vowels |
| 3 | Latin | -isma | Alternative form of -ismus; -ism |
| 4 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |