Where does “Mormonism” come from?
Mormonism derives from English Mormon plus the suffix -ισμός (Ancient Greek), from -μός (Ancient Greek), from Proto-Indo-European -mós, a suffix forming abstract nouns denoting states, conditions, or practices.
Ancestry of “Mormonism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | -ism | -ism |
| 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 |