Where does “Spiritism” come from?
Spiritism comes from English spirit, derived from Ancient Greek -ισμός, both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys-, meaning to breathe or blow.
Spiritism (English): A philosophical doctrine, established in France in the mid nineteenth century, postulating that humans are essentially immortal spirits that temporarily inhabit physical bodies, and may have influence on the physical world
Definitions
- A philosophical doctrine, established in France in the mid nineteenth century, postulating that humans are essentially immortal spirits that temporarily inhabit physical bodies, and may have influence on the physical world
Ancestry of “Spiritism”, step by step
Spiritism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English spirit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | spirit | The soul of a person or other creature. What... |
| 2 | Middle English | spirit | life, vital breath |
| 3 | Irish | -óg | used to form diminutives of nouns, or substantive... |
| 4 | Old Irish | -óc | Diminutive suffix |
| 5 | Proto-Brythonic | -ọg | Forms nouns/adjectives from other nouns and... |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | -ākos | Forms adjectives from nouns and adjectives with... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂ḱos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -kos | Creates deadjectival and desubstantival... |
via French spiritisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | spiritisme | spiritism |
| 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 |