Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “apathy” come from?

Apathy comes from French apathie, from Latin apathia, from Ancient Greek ἀπάθεια, composed of the prefix ἀ- meaning "without" and πάσχω meaning "to suffer or feel."

apathy (English): Lack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest...

Definitions

  1. Lack of emotion or motivation; lack of interest...

Ancestry of “apathy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchapathieapathy
2Latinapathīa—
3Ancient Greekἀπάθειαwant of sensation, impassibility; insensibility,...
4Ancient Greekἀπαθήςwithout sensation or suffering
5Ancient Greekἀ-The alpha privativum, used to make words that...
6Proto-Hellenichə-same; together
7Proto-Indo-Europeansm̥-one; with, together
8Proto-Indo-Europeansem-together, one

Words derived from “apathy”

  • apathetic
  • apathetically
  • nonapathetic
  • apatheticness
  • unapathetic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sem- →