English
anticommunist
Anticommunist comes from French communiste ‘communist’, from commun ‘common (shared)’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-1‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-s1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinis1‘common’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEcomoinis1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnis1
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400comun1‘common’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcommun1‘common (shared)’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcommuniste1‘communist’
- English1500–presentcommunist1
- Englishtodayanticommunist1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English anticommunist
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-Wiktionary, English anticommunist‘to attach, bind, strengthen’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱom-moy-ni-sWiktionary, English anticommunistreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kommoinisWiktionary, English anticommunist‘common’reconstructed
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEcomoinisWiktionary, English anticommunist
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommūnisWiktionary, English anticommunist
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400comunWiktionary, English anticommunist‘common’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcommunWiktionary, English anticommunist‘common (shared)’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcommunisteWiktionary, English anticommunist‘communist’
- English1500–presentcommunistWiktionary, English anticommunist
- EnglishtodayanticommunistWiktionary, English anticommunist
A compound of anti- + communist
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- ‘forehead’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts ‘forehead’
Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti ‘opposite’
Ancient Greek ᾰ̓ντῐ́ ‘over against, opposite’
English anti-
Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
…
Latin commūnis
Old French comun ‘common’
French commun ‘common, communal’
French communiste
English communist
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘to attach, bind, strengthen’
mean, met, minute, minister, minor, mess, meal, commission, min, menu, ministry, mere, mutual, missile, minus, commit, compromise, immune, dismiss, premise, mole, mayhem, noodle, immunity, moor, mural, ammunition, ammo, municipality, intermittent, mite, remuneration, omit, monolith, minstrel, mitra, mitre, mitosis, meiosis, minuet, 65 more
through Proto-Italic *kommoinis ‘common’
through Old Latin comoinis
telecommunication, excommunication, 11 more
through Latin commūnis
common, community, communication, communicate, communal, communion, commune, 15 more
through French commun ‘common (shared)’
through English communist
Today it means
adj Opposed to the tenets of communism.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “anticommunist”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / anticommunist