Where does “scientism” come from?
Scientism comes from English science plus the suffix -ism, deriving from Ancient Greek -ισμός, itself from Ancient Greek -μός, which developed from Latin scientia meaning knowledge or expertise, formed with the Latin suffix -ia from Ancient Greek -ία.
scientism (English): The belief that the scientific method and the...
Definitions
- The belief that the scientific method and the...
Ancestry of “scientism”, step by step
scientism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French scientisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | scientisme | scientism |
| 2 | French | science | science field of study, etc |
| 3 | Middle French | science | science; knowledge |
| 4 | Old French | science | knowledge; wisdom |
| 5 | Latin | scientia | knowledge; nominative neuter plural of sciēns;... |
| 6 | Latin | sciēns | knowing, understanding |
| 7 | Latin | sciō | to be able to, to know, understand, to have practical knowledge |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |
via English scientific
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | scientific | Of, or having to do with science; Having the... |
| 2 | Middle French | scientifique | — |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | scientificus | pertaining to science; Of or pertaining to... |
| 4 | Latin | -ficus | Forms adjectives that denote bringing or making |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -fakos | -making, -producing |