Where does “exoticism” come from?
Exoticism derives from English exotic plus the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός, tracing back through Latin exoticus and Ancient Greek ἐξωτικός, built from the prefix ἐξω- meaning "outside" and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots -kos and -tis.
exoticism (English): The state of being exotic; Something exotic
Definitions
- The state of being exotic; Something exotic
Ancestry of “exoticism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | exotic | Foreign, especially in an exciting way;... |
| 2 | Middle French | exotique | — |
| 3 | Latin | exōticus | foreign, exotic |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἐξωτικός | foreign, outlying, alien; uninitiated |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἔξω | out, out of; outside; without, except |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | σφαῖρα | ball, globe, sphere |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -ειδής | like, connected to, from the nature of, full of;... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -ής | adjective suffix |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |