English
atheist
Atheist comes from Latin atheos ‘an atheist’, from Ancient Greek ἄθεος ‘godless, without god’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós‘god, deity’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςtheós‘god’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄθεοςátheos‘godless, without god’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEatheos‘an atheist’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600athéiste
- Englishearliest quotation 1571atheist
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósreconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós‘god, deity’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςtheós‘god’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄθεοςátheos‘godless, without god’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEatheos‘an atheist’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600athéiste
- Englishearliest quotation 1571atheist
Earliest quotation: 1571, Arthur Golding, The Epistle Dedicatory: “Ageine, the Atheistes, which say in their hartes there…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’
do, fact, deal, hot, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, mid, feature, defence, sufficient, treasury, custom, treasure, theme, ethnic, defendant, ethical, doom, tick, deed, synthetic, auditorium, aesthetic, auditor, thesis, demi, deem, spade, ethic, familial, medial, forfeit, medallion, prefect, certify, ethos, duma, thematic, 115 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s ‘god, godhead, deity’
fair, feast, dis, feral, profanity, fanatic, profane, fane, fayre, 23 more
through Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós ‘god, deity’
polytheism, pantheism, 16 more
through Ancient Greek θεός ‘god’
Today it means
noun A person who does not believe in deities or gods.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / atheist