Where does “bilingualism” come from?
Bilingualism derives from English bilingual plus the suffix -ism, from Ancient Greek -ισμός, from Ancient Greek -μός, from Proto-Indo-European -mós.
bilingualism (English): The condition of being bilingual; the ability to...
Definitions
- The condition of being bilingual; the ability to...
Ancestry of “bilingualism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bilingual | Having the ability to speak two languages; Spoken... |
| 2 | Latin | bilinguis | Double-tongued, two-tongued; speaking two... |
| 3 | Latin | lingua | tongue; a speech; an utterance or expression |
| 4 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |