Where does “anarchism” come from?
Anarchism derives from Ancient Greek ἀναρχία (anarchia), meaning absence of rule, formed from the prefix ἀν- (an-, not) and ἄρχω (archō, to rule), with the suffix -ισμός (-ismós) added in English to denote the system or doctrine.
anarchism (English): The belief that proposes the absence and...
Definitions
- The belief that proposes the absence and...
Ancestry of “anarchism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | anarchy | The state of a society being without authorities... |
| 2 | New Latin | anarchia | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀναρχία | lack of a leader; lawlessness, anarchy |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀν- | Alternative form of ἀ- used before a vowel;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὀρθός | straight, upright, erect; straight forward, in a... |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | ortʰwós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃r̥dʰwós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃erdʰ- | to increase, grow; upright, high |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |