Where does “colourism” come from?
colourism (English) comes from English colour, from Middle English colour, from Anglo-Norman colur, from Old French colour, from Latin color, from Ancient Greek μέτρον, from Ancient Greek -τρον, from Proto-Hellenic -tron — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
colourism (English): Alternative form of colorism
Definitions
- Alternative form of colorism
Ancestry of “colourism”, step by step
colourism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English colour
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | colour | Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South... |
| 2 | Middle English | colour | colour, hue, shade; pigment, dye; method |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | colur | Alternative form of color |
| 4 | Old French | colour | Alternative form of color |
| 5 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
via English ism
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |