Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vigilantism” come from?

Vigilantism derives from English vigilante, ultimately from Latin vigil meaning watchful, rooted in Proto-Indo-European weǵ- meaning to be awake or alert.

vigilantism (English): the activities of a vigilante

Definitions

  1. the activities of a vigilante

Ancestry of “vigilantism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishvigilanteA person who considers it their own...
2Spanishvigilantewatchful, alert, wakeful; guard, watchman
3Latinvigilanswatching; vigilant, watchful, alert; vigilant,...
4Latinvigilāre—
5Latinvigilawake, watching, alert; watchman, guard,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵ-lively, awake; strong

Words derived from “vigilantism”

  • cybervigilantism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European weǵ- →