Where does “deism” come from?

Deism derives from French déisme, combining Latin divinus (divine, from deywós sky-god in Proto-Indo-European) with the English suffix -ism denoting a doctrine or belief system.

deism (English): A philosophical belief in the existence of a god (or goddess) knowable through human reason; especially, a belief in a creator god unaccompanied by any belief in supernatural phenomena or specific religious doctrines

Definitions

  1. A philosophical belief in the existence of a god (or goddess) knowable through human reason; especially, a belief in a creator god unaccompanied by any belief in supernatural phenomena or specific religious doctrines

Ancestry of “deism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdéismedeism
2LatinDeusGod
3Latindẹ̄vos—
4Old Latindeivosgod, deity
5Proto-Italicdeiwosgod, deity
6Proto-Indo-Europeandeywósgod
7Proto-Indo-Europeandyew-to be bright; sky, heaven

Words derived from “deism”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dyew- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European deywós →Every word from Proto-Italic deiwos →