Where does “fanaticism” come from?
Fanaticism derives from English fanatic, ultimately from Latin fanum meaning temple, with the suffix -icus forming an adjective, and -ισμός forming a noun denoting the state or practice.
fanaticism (English): The characteristic or practice of being a fanatic
Definitions
- The characteristic or practice of being a fanatic
Ancestry of “fanaticism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fanatic | Fanatical; Showing evidence of possession by a... |
| 2 | French | fanatique | fanatic, fanatical; fanatic |
| 3 | Latin | fānāticus | temple |
| 4 | Latin | -aticus | Used to form adjectives indicating a relation to... |
| 5 | Latin | -ātus | ed |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -ātos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂tos | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality |