Where does “alarmist” come from?
Alarmist derives from English alarm plus the suffix -ista from Latin, itself from Middle French alarme, from Ancient Greek -ίζω, ultimately from Latin arma meaning weapons, tracing back to Proto-Indo-European h₂(e)rmos and h₂er-.
alarmist (English): One who causes others to become alarmed without...
Definitions
- One who causes others to become alarmed without...
Ancestry of “alarmist”, step by step
alarmist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English alarm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | alarm | A summons to arms, as on the approach of an... |
| 2 | Middle English | alarme | — |
| 3 | Middle French | alarme | — |
| 4 | Italian | all'arme | a command to take up arms and be ready to fight: to arms! |
| 5 | Latin | arma | defensive arms, armor/armour, shields, weapons of... |
| 6 | Late Latin | armistitium | — |
| 7 | Latin | sistere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | stísteh₂ti | to be standing up, to be getting up |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |
via French alarmiste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | alarmiste | alarmist |