Philosophy:-ism
-ism (/-ˌɪzəm/) is a suffix in many English words, originally derived from the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός (-ismós), and reached English through the Latin -ismus, and the French -isme.[1] It is used to create abstract nouns of action, state, condition, or doctrine, and is often used to describe philosophies, theories, religions, social movements, artistic movements, lifestyles,[2] behaviors, scientific phenomena,[3] or medical conditions.[4]Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
Skeptics of any given -isms can quote the dictum attributed to Eisenhower: "All -isms are wasms".[5]
In 2004, the Oxford English Dictionary added two new draft definitions of -isms to reference their relationship to words that convey injustice:[6]
- "Forming nouns with the sense 'belief in the superiority of one—over another'; as racism, sexism, speciesism, etc."
- "Forming nouns with the sense 'discrimination or prejudice against on the basis of—'; as ageism, bodyism, heightism, faceism, lookism, sizeism, weightism, etc."
In December 2015, Merriam-Webster Dictionary declared -ism to be the Word of the Year.[7]
See also
For examples of the use of -ism as a suffix:
- List of philosophies
- Glossary of philosophy
- List of political ideologies
- List of art movements
- Discrimination § Types
- Vandalism
Notes and references
- ↑ "-ism". Oxford English Dictionary online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2014. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/100006.
- ↑ Such as hedonism or consumerism
- ↑ Such as magnetism
- ↑ Such as an embolism, dwarfism, or priapism
- ↑ Braund, Susanna Morton (19 July 2005). Latin Literature. Classical Foundations. Routledge. p. 65. ISBN 9781134646777. https://books.google.com/books?id=vLDb8oLHxn8C. Retrieved 6 August 2023. "As President Eisenhower allegedly said, 'All -isms are wasms'. [...] I hope to avoid the tyranny of the -isms [...]."
- ↑ Krieger, Nancy (2020). "Measures of Racism, Sexism, Heterosexism, and Gender Binarism for Health Equity Research: From Structural Injustice to Embodied Harm – An Ecosocial Analysis". Annual Review of Public Health 41: 37–62. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040119-094017. PMID 31765272.
- ↑ "The Word of the Year is: -ism | Merriam-Webster". http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year-2015/-ism.
Further reading
- Today's Isms: Socialism, Capitalism, Fascism, Communism, Libertarianism by Alan Ebenstein, William Ebenstein and Edwin Fogelman (11th ed, Pearson, 1999, ISBN 978-0130257147)
- Isms and Ologies: 453 Difficult Doctrines You've Always Pretended to Understand by Arthur Goldwag (Quercus, 2007, ISBN 978-1847241764) ranges from Abolitionism to Zoroastrianism.
- Isms: Understanding Art by Stephen Little (A & C Black, 2004, ISBN 978-0713670110), one of a series of similar titles including ... Architecture, ... Modern Art, ... Fashion and ... Religions.
- The Ism Book: A Field Guide to Philosophy by Peter Saint-Andre.
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