Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “paternalist” come from?

Paternalist comes from English paternal combined with the suffix -ista from Latin, -ιστής from Ancient Greek, and -alis from Latin, all ultimately deriving from Latin pater meaning father, from Proto-Indo-European ph₂tḗr.

paternalist (English): Of or pertaining to paternalism; An advocate of...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to paternalism; An advocate of...

Ancestry of “paternalist”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpaternalOf or pertaining to one's father, his genes, his...
2Old Frenchpaternalpaternal
3Vulgar Latinpaternalispaternal
4LatinpaternusOf or pertaining to a father, paternal, fatherly;...
5Latinpaterfather; head of household; parent
6Proto-Italicpatērfather
7Proto-Indo-Europeanph₂tḗrfather
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →