English
fascism
Fascism comes from Italian fascio ‘fasces, bundle, group’, and goes back to Latin fascis ‘a faggot, fascine’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfascisas fasces‘a faggot, fascine’
- Italianc. 1300–presentfascio‘fasces, bundle, group’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentfascismo
- Englishearliest quotation 1922fascism
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfascisas fasces‘a faggot, fascine’
- Italianc. 1300–presentfascio‘fasces, bundle, group’
- Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentfascismo
- Englishearliest quotation 1922fascism
Earliest quotation: 1922, The American Photo-engraver: “Today "Fascism" like Russian "Bolshevism" does not know what…”
The story
From Italian fascismo, from fascio (‘fasces, bundle, group’) + -ismo (‘-ism’) with direct reference to Benito Mussolini's fasci di combattimento ("fight clubs"), from Latin fasces, bundles of axes and rods carried before the magistrates of the ancient Roman Republic as representative of their power of life and death. Originally with exclusive reference to Fascist Italy which used the fasces as an emblem, later broadened to describe all of the Axis Powers of World War II, and subsequently used as a general term of opprobrium in English and international political discourse.
Linked words
through Italian fascio ‘fasces, bundle, group’
Today it means
noun Any right-wing, authoritarian, nationalist ideology characterized by centralized, totalitarian governance, strong regimentation of the economy and society, and repression of criticism or opposition.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin fascis / fascism