Where does “imbecilism” come from?
imbecilism (English) comes from English imbecile, from Middle French imbécile, from Latin imbēcillus, from Latin Bacillus, from Latin -illus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
imbecilism (English): imbecility
Definitions
- imbecility
Ancestry of “imbecilism”, step by step
imbecilism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English imbecile
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | imbecile | A person with limited mental capacity who can... |
| 2 | Middle French | imbécile | — |
| 3 | Latin | imbēcillus | weak, feeble |
| 4 | Latin | Bacillus | — |
| 5 | Latin | -illus | Used to form adjectives from nouns |
| 6 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English ism
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ism | An ideology, system of thought, or practice that... |
| 2 | English | -ism | Used to form nouns of action or process or result... |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |