Where does “purist” come from?
Purist comes from French puriste, formed from French purus via Latin -ista and Ancient Greek -ιστής, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "forward" and "to swell or grow."
purist (English): Of or pertaining to purism; An advocate of purism
Definitions
- Of or pertaining to purism; An advocate of purism
Ancestry of “purist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | puriste | purist |
| 2 | French | pur | pure |
| 3 | Middle French | pur | — |
| 4 | Old French | pur | pure; Alternative form of por |
| 5 | Old French | autre | Alternative form of altre; other |
| 6 | Old French | vie | life |
| 7 | Old French | viḍe | — |
| 8 | Latin | vitam | accusative singular of vīta |
| 9 | Latin | vīta | life |
| 10 | Latin | vīvō | to live |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | gʷīwō | live, be alive |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷíh₃weti | to live, to be alive |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷih₃wós | alive, living |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷeih₃w- | to live |