English
purist
Purist comes from French puriste, from pur ‘pure (unspoilt)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- ‘to cleanse, purify’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewH-‘to cleanse, purify’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pūrosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpūrus‘clean’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400pur‘pure’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘pure (unspoilt)’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentpuriste
- Englishearliest quotation 1976purist
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pewH-‘to cleanse, purify’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pūrosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpūrus‘clean’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400pur‘pure’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame form‘pure (unspoilt)’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentpuriste
- Englishearliest quotation 1976purist
Earliest quotation: 1976, Thom Willenbecher, Tilden Re-Crucified: “He was the first to play for money, a…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pewH- ‘to cleanse, purify’
deputy, reputation, pity, pious, piety, putative, expiation, puro, 14 more
through Proto-Italic *pūros
through Latin pūrus ‘clean’
pour, purity, purification, impure, purify, puree, purée, 7 more
through Old French pur ‘pure’
Today it means
adj Of or pertaining to purism.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pewH- / purist