Where does “polemic” come from?

Polemic comes from French polémique, derived from Ancient Greek πολεμικός, formed with the suffix -ικός, itself from -κός, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.

polemic (English): A person who writes in support of one opinion,...

Definitions

  1. A person who writes in support of one opinion,...

Ancestry of “polemic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchpolémiquepolemic, controversy; polemic; controversial
2Ancient Greekπολεμικόςwarlike, bellicose; hostile
3Ancient Greek-ικόςof or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic
4Ancient Greek-κόςforms adjectives with the sense of 'of or...
5Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “polemic”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →Every word from Ancient Greek -ικός →Every word from Ancient Greek -κός →
polemic — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer