Where does “universalism” come from?
Universalism comes from English universal, derived from Ancient Greek -ισμός and -μός suffixes attached to Latin universalis, itself formed from versus and the suffix -alis, ultimately from Latin vertere meaning to turn.
universalism (English): The state of being universal; universality; The...
Definitions
- The state of being universal; universality; The...
Ancestry of “universalism”, step by step
universalism traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English universal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | universal | Of or pertaining to the universe; Common to all... |
| 2 | Middle English | universal | all-encompassing, subject to everything and... |
| 3 | Old French | universal | universal |
| 4 | Latin | universalis | universal; general |
| 5 | Latin | ūniversus | whole, entire, taken collectively or altogether |
| 6 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 7 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via French universalisme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | universalisme | universalism |
| 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 |