Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Sufism” come from?

Sufism derives from English Sufi combined with Ancient Greek -ισμός, from Ancient Greek -μός, from Proto-Indo-European -mós, a suffix forming abstract nouns of action or state.

Sufism (English): A denomination in Islam emphasizing mysticism,...

Definitions

  1. A denomination in Islam emphasizing mysticism,...

Ancestry of “Sufism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ismUsed to form nouns of action or process or result...
2Latin-ismus-ism
3Ancient Greek-ισμόςForms abstract nouns
4Ancient Greek-μόςForms abstract nouns
5Proto-Indo-European-mósCreates action/result nouns from verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mós →