Where does “activism” come from?
Activism derives from English active, from Latin activus, from Latin agere meaning "to drive or act," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- meaning "to move or drive."
activism (English): The practice of using action to achieve a result,...
Definitions
- The practice of using action to achieve a result,...
Ancestry of “activism”, step by step
activism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English active
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | active | Having the power or quality of acting; causing... |
| 2 | Middle English | actyf | active, reactive |
| 3 | Old French | actif | active |
| 4 | Latin | āctīvus | active |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἐνεργητικός | Able to act on; acting on; Active; In the active... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἐνεργέω | to be in action or activity, to operate; to... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἐνεργός | at work, active |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ἐν- | in, within; on |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | ἐν | in, on, at; among; in, at, or during the time of |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | δέρμα | skin, hide |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | γλυφή | carving, carved work; hole cut |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | -ῐ́ᾱ | {{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine... |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |
via French activisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | activisme | activism |
| 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 |