Etymograph

English

eidolism

Eidolism comes from Ancient Greek εἴδωλον ‘image, apparition, phantom, ghost’, from εἶδος ‘form’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-1‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydos1‘seeing, image’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wéidos1reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἶδος2eîdos‘form’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἴδωλον3eídōlon‘image, apparition, phantom, ghost’
  6. Englishtodayeidolism3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek εἶδος
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek εἴδωλον
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English eidolism

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek εἶδος‘to see’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydosWiktionary, Ancient Greek εἶδος‘seeing, image’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wéidosWiktionary, Ancient Greek εἶδοςreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἶδοςWiktionary, Ancient Greek εἴδωλονeîdos‘form’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἴδωλονWiktionary, English eidolismeídōlon‘image, apparition, phantom, ghost’
  6. EnglishtodayeidolismWiktionary, English eidolism

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’

story, guy, video, idea, review, evidence, provide, advice, interview, visit, guide, witness, vision, historic, wit, invisible, wizard, wisdom, advise, visa, evident, historian, witty, vista, visibility, wisely, prudent, revise, guise, envious, prudence, revue, unwise, improvise, purview, druid, twit, vide, voyeur, avis, 104 more

through Proto-Indo-European *wéydos ‘seeing, image’

wise, 48 more

through Proto-Hellenic *wéidos

steroidal, 48 more

through Ancient Greek εἶδος ‘form’

steroid, tabloid, hypothyroidism, idyll, parathyroid, trapezoid, thyroxine, hyoid, hyperthyroidism, sigmoid, colloid, thyroiditis, 49 more

through Ancient Greek εἴδωλον ‘image, apparition, phantom, ghost’

idol, 8 more

Today it means

noun The belief in ghosts or phantoms; spiritualism.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “eidolism”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek εἶδος, Ancient Greek εἴδωλον. 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 *weyd- / eidolism

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