Where does “Mahometanism” come from?
Mahometanism derives from English Mahometan plus Ancient Greek -ισμός, which combines Ancient Greek -μός and Proto-Indo-European -mós, a suffix forming abstract nouns and denoting action or condition.
Ancestry of “Mahometanism”, step by step
Mahometanism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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 |
via English Mahometan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Mahometan | Alternative form of Mohammedan |