Where does “nihilism” come from?
Nihilism comes from French nihilisme, from Latin nihil meaning nothing, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne meaning not.
nihilism (English): The view that all endeavours are devoid of...
Definitions
- The view that all endeavours are devoid of...
Ancestry of “nihilism”, step by step
nihilism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French nihilisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | nihilisme | nihilism |
| 2 | German | Nihilismus | nihilism |
| 3 | Latin | nihil | indefinite nothing |
| 4 | Latin | nihilum | nothing; no value |
| 5 | Latin | nē | no; not |
| 6 | Latin | gēns | Roman clan (related by birth or marriage and sharing a common name and often united by certain religious rites) |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *gentis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via Russian нигили́зм
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian | нигили́зм | nihilism |