Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “skeptic” come from?

Skeptic comes from Latin scepticus, from Ancient Greek σκεπτικός, derived from the verb σκέπτομαι meaning to examine or consider, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- meaning to observe or perceive.

skeptic (English): Someone who habitually doubts beliefs and claims...

Definitions

  1. Someone who habitually doubts beliefs and claims...

Ancestry of “skeptic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinscepticusThe sect of skeptics
2Ancient Greekσκεπτικόςthoughtful, inquiring; a sceptic, a member of the...
3Ancient GreekσκέπτομαιI look at, examine; I examine, consider, think
4Proto-Hellenicsképťomaito look at
5Proto-Indo-Europeanspéḱyetito be looking at, to keep looking at
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “skeptic”

  • skeptical
  • skepticism
  • skeptically
  • Euroskepticism
  • Euroskeptic
  • skepticist
  • nonskeptical
  • antiskepticism
  • antiskeptic
  • unskeptical
  • Euroskeptical
  • nonskeptic
  • overskeptical
  • skepticality
  • skeptopathy
  • technoskeptic
  • technoskeptical
  • technoskepticism
  • skepticalness
  • skepticize
  • Euro-skeptical
  • Euro-skeptic
  • Euro-skepticism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →