Where does “sadism” come from?
Sadism comes from French sadisme, formed with the French suffix -isme from Latin -isma, from Ancient Greek -ισμός, from Ancient Greek -μός, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -mós.
sadism (English): The enjoyment of inflicting pain or humiliation...
Definitions
- The enjoyment of inflicting pain or humiliation...
Ancestry of “sadism”, step by step
sadism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Sadismus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Sadismus | sadism |
| 2 | German | -ismus | -ism |
| 3 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |
via French sadisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | sadisme | sadism |
| 2 | French | Marquis de Sade | — |