Where does “primitivism” come from?
Primitivism is derived from English primitive combined with the suffix -ism, from Ancient Greek -ισμός, ultimately tracing through Latin primitivus and Latin -ivus to Proto-Indo-European per- meaning "forward" or "through."
primitivism (English): The state or quality of being primitive; The...
Definitions
- The state or quality of being primitive; The...
Ancestry of “primitivism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | primitive | An original or primary word; a word not derived... |
| 2 | Old French | primitif | — |
| 3 | Latin | prīmitīvus | primitive (first of its kind), original |
| 4 | Latin | primitus | originally, at first, from the first, from/at... |
| 5 | Latin | prīmus | — |
| 6 | Latin | prīsmos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | priisemos | foremost, first |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |