Where does “feminism” come from?
Feminism derives from French féminisme, which combines Latin femina with the Latin suffix -inus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)-.
feminism (English): The state of being feminine; femininity; A social...
Definitions
- The state of being feminine; femininity; A social...
Ancestry of “feminism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | féminisme | feminism |
| 2 | French | -ïsme | -ism, variant of -isme following vowels |
| 3 | Latin | -isma | Alternative form of -ismus; -ism |
| 4 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |