Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “relativism” come from?

Relativism comes from English relative combined with the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός, from Ancient Greek -μός, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

relativism (English): The theory, especially in ethics or aesthetics,...

Definitions

  1. The theory, especially in ethics or aesthetics,...

Ancestry of “relativism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrelativeConnected to or depending on something else;...
2Middle Frenchrelatif—
3Latinrelātīvus—
4Latinrelātus—
5Latinreferō—
6Latinrĕ-—
7Latinprōdūcō—
8Latinprō-—
9Proto-Italic*pro-—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
12Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “relativism”

  • ethnorelativism
  • hyperrelativism
  • factual relativism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →