Where does “biopolitics” come from?
Biopolitics derives from English politics, from Ancient Greek πόλις meaning city-state, combined with the prefix bio- relating to life.
biopolitics (English): Politics that regulates populations through...
Definitions
- Politics that regulates populations through...
Ancestry of “biopolitics”, step by step
biopolitics traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English politics
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | politics | A methodology and activities associated with... |
| 2 | English | politic | Of or relating to polity, or civil government;... |
| 3 | Middle French | politique | — |
| 4 | Latin | polīticus | political, civil, of the state, relating to civil polity |
| 5 | Swedish | politisk | political, having to do with politics |
| 6 | Swedish | politik | politics |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πολιτικός | civic, constitutional, public; social |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
via English Bio
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Bio | Abbreviation of biology |
| 2 | English | biology | The study of all life or living matter; The... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | βίος | life |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Γένεσις | Genesis. The title of the first book of the Bible and Pentateuch as in the Septuagint translation in Greek |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | génetis | origin, source |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |