Where does “utilitarianism” come from?
Utilitarianism derives from English utilitarian, from English utility, from English utile, from French utile, from Latin ūtilis meaning useful, ultimately from Latin ut meaning to use.
utilitarianism (English): A system of ethics based on the premise that...
Definitions
- A system of ethics based on the premise that...
Ancestry of “utilitarianism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | utilitarian | of or relating to utility; pertaining to... |
| 2 | English | -arian | A believer in something; An advocate of... |
| 3 | English | -ary | of or pertaining to; adjective suffix appended to... |
| 4 | Italian | -ario | -ary; Added to nouns to create attributive... |
| 5 | Latin | -ārium | used primarily to form nouns of purpose from other nouns, such as places where things are kept or objects used for a particular end |
| 6 | Latin | -um | nominative neuter singular of -us; accusative... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-om | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *-oHom | — |