Where does “sexism” come from?
Sexism derives from English sex, which comes from Latin sexus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek-, meaning to cut or divide, and related to Latin sequi meaning to follow.
sexism (English): The belief that people of one sex or gender are...
Definitions
- The belief that people of one sex or gender are...
Ancestry of “sexism”, step by step
sexism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English sex
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sex | A category into which sexually-reproducing... |
| 2 | English | sect | An offshoot of a larger religion; a group sharing... |
| 3 | Middle English | secte | A variety or sort; a category with a... |
| 4 | Old French | secte | a sect in philosophy or religion |
| 5 | Late Latin | secta | a sect in philosophy or religion, a school,... |
| 6 | Latin | sequi | present active infinitive of sequor; follow, come... |
| 7 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |
via French sexisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | sexisme | sexism |
| 2 | French | -ïsme | -ism, variant of -isme following vowels |
| 3 | Latin | -isma | Alternative form of -ismus; -ism |
| 4 | Latin | -ismus | -ism |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ισμός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -μός | Forms abstract nouns |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mós | Creates action/result nouns from verb stems |