Where does “Rawlsian” come from?
Rawlsian derives from English Rawls, a proper name, combined with the Latin adjectival suffix -ianus, which developed from -ius, -um, and -us, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European -yós and -ós through Proto-Italic -os.
Rawlsian (English): Of, relating to, or influenced by John Rawls (1921–2002), American moral and political philosopher
Definitions
- Of, relating to, or influenced by John Rawls (1921–2002), American moral and political philosopher
Ancestry of “Rawlsian”, step by step
Rawlsian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Rawls
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Rawls | — |
| 2 | English | Ralph | Fictional person used in references to vomiting |
| 3 | Middle English | Radulf | — |
| 4 | Old English | Rǣdwulf | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *Rādawulf | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | Rēdawulfaz | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaz | advice, counsel |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hréh₁dʰos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via English ian
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ian | — |
| 2 | Irish | Eoin | John any of several people in the Bible |
| 3 | Old Irish | Iohain | John apostle |
| 4 | Latin | Iōannēs | John biblical persons |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ἰωάννης | — |
| 6 | Hebrew | יוחנן | Yahweh is gracious |
| 7 | Hebrew | חנון | gracious, merciful, compassionate; passive... |
| 8 | Moroccan Arabic | خنونة | mucus, snot |
| 9 | Arabic | خُنَّة | — |