Where does “agnostic” come from?

Agnostic comes from Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος, formed from the prefix ἀ- and a root from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃- meaning "to know," combined with the negating particle ne.

agnostic (English): Of or relating to agnosticism or its adherents;...

Definitions

  1. Of or relating to agnosticism or its adherents;...

Ancestry of “agnostic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekἄγνωστοςunknown, unheard of, forgotten; unknowable;...
2Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
3Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
4Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
5Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “agnostic”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →Every word from Ancient Greek ἀ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European sm̥- →