English
communism
Communism comes from French commun ‘common’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinis‘common’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEcomoinis
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnis
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400comun‘common’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcommun‘common’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentcommunisme
- Englishearliest quotation 1932communism
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-sreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinis‘common’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEcomoinis
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnis
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400comun‘common’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcommun‘common’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentcommunisme
- Englishearliest quotation 1932communism
Earliest quotation: 1932, D. H. Lawrence, The Letters of D.H. Lawrence: “I want to gather together about twenty souls and…”
Equivalent to commune + -ism
Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to change’
…
Latin commūne ‘community, state’
Medieval Latin commūnia
Old French comune
Middle English commune
English commune
The story
A borrowing from French communisme, which was formed from commun (‘common’) (from Latin commūnis) and the suffix -isme (‘-ism’).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
mean, met, minute, minister, minor, mess, meal, min, commission, ministry, menu, mere, mutual, minus, missile, commit, compromise, mole, premise, immune, dismiss, mayhem, noodle, intermittent, moor, ammunition, municipality, mural, immunity, ammo, mite, remuneration, omit, monolith, minstrel, mitra, mitre, mitosis, meiosis, minuet, 75 more
through Proto-Italic *kommoinis ‘common’
through Latin commūnis
Today it means
noun Any far-left political ideology or philosophy advocating holding the production of resources collectively, especially by seizing it through revolution.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / communism