Where does “esotericism” come from?
Esotericism comes from English esoteric plus the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός, from the Ancient Greek adjective suffix -ικός, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos, tracing to Proto-Hellenic ens and Proto-Indo-European h₁én meaning "being" or "entity."
esotericism (English): The tendency to promote or desire the esoteric;...
Definitions
- The tendency to promote or desire the esoteric;...
Ancestry of “esotericism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 2 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |