Etymograph

English

theism

Theism comes from Ancient Greek θεός ‘god’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósreconstructed
  4. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós‘god, deity’reconstructed
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςtheós‘god’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1999theism

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰeh₁-‘to do’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰéh₁s‘god, godhead, deity’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁sósreconstructed
  4. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*tʰehós‘god, deity’reconstructed
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθεόςtheós‘god’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1999theism

Earliest quotation: 1999, Jeaneane D. Fowler, Humanism: Beliefs & Practices: “The term stands in contradistinction to theism which, in…”

Formed from theo- + -ism

Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’

…

Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁sós

Proto-Hellenic *tʰehós ‘god, deity’

Ancient Greek θεός ‘god’

Latin theos ‘god’

English theo-

The story

Coined, theo- + -ism. ultimately from Ancient Greek θεός (theós, “god”). Attested in English from 1678, theist being attested 16 years earlier in 1662.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- ‘to do’

do, fact, deal, hot, defense, fan, benefit, fashion, feature, mid, defence, custom, sufficient, treasury, treasure, ethnic, theme, defendant, ethical, doom, tick, deed, aesthetic, synthetic, auditorium, auditor, demi, deem, spade, thesis, ethic, familial, medial, forfeit, medallion, prefect, certify, ethos, duma, thematic, 118 more

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s ‘god, godhead, deity’

fair, feast, dis, feral, fanatic, profanity, profane, fane, fayre, 26 more

through Ancient Greek θεός ‘god’

theology, atheist, apotheosis, 19 more

Another origin of theism

  1. ms-oldmodernteh
  2. Hokkienmodern茶tê
  3. New Latinc. 1500–1900thea‘tea’
  4. Englishtodaytheism

Today it means

noun Belief in the existence of at least one deity.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- / theism

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