Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “misanthropy” come from?

Misanthropy comes from Ancient Greek μισανθρωπία, derived from μισάνθρωπος combining μῖσος (hatred) and ἄνθρωπος (human), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mēwdʰ-.

misanthropy (English): Hatred or dislike of people or mankind

Definitions

  1. Hatred or dislike of people or mankind

Ancestry of “misanthropy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekμισανθρωπία—
2Ancient Greek-ῐ́ᾱ{{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine...
3Proto-Indo-European-íh₂—
4Proto-Indo-European-h₂Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -h₂ →