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
- the activities of a vigilante
Ancestry of “vigilantism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | vigilante | A person who considers it their own... |
| 2 | Spanish | vigilante | watchful, alert, wakeful; guard, watchman |
| 3 | Latin | vigilans | watching; vigilant, watchful, alert; vigilant,... |
| 4 | Latin | vigilāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | vigil | awake, watching, alert; watchman, guard,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |