Where does “orientalism” come from?
Orientalism comes from French orientalisme, formed from French orient plus the suffix -isme from Latin -isma, ultimately from Latin orior meaning to rise or appear, via Proto-Indo-European h₃er-.
orientalism (English): In the figurative arts, the tendency to represent...
Definitions
- In the figurative arts, the tendency to represent...
Ancestry of “orientalism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | orientalisme | orientalism |
| 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 |