Where does “political correctness” come from?
political correctness (English) comes from English correctness, from English correct, from Middle English correcten, from Anglo-Norman correcter, from Latin correctus, from Latin corrigēre, from Latin com-, from Latin con- — resin.
political correctness (English): Avoidance of expressions or actions that can be...
Definitions
- Avoidance of expressions or actions that can be...
Ancestry of “political correctness”, step by step
political correctness traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English correctness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | correctness | freedom from error; conformity to the truth or to... |
| 2 | English | correct | Free from error; true; accurate; With good... |
| 3 | Middle English | correcten | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | correcter | — |
| 5 | Latin | correctus | corrected; straightened; improved |
| 6 | Latin | corrigēre | — |
| 7 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 8 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 9 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 10 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 14 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 15 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 16 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 17 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 18 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
via English political
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | political | Concerning or relating to politics, the art and... |
| 2 | English | politic | Of or relating to polity, or civil government;... |
| 3 | Middle French | politique | — |
| 4 | Latin | polīticus | political, civil, of the state, relating to civil polity |
| 5 | Swedish | politisk | political, having to do with politics |
| 6 | Swedish | politik | politics |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πολιτικός | civic, constitutional, public; social |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 10 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
via English politically correct
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | politically correct | Possessing or conforming to the correct political... |