Etymograph

English

familism

Familism comes from Latin familia ‘a household’, from Proto-Italic *famelos ‘servant, slave’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-mo-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁-mo-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁melós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θamelos1reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*famelos2‘servant, slave’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fameliā3‘of the house → household’reconstructed
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfamilia4‘a household’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1972familism4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *fameliā
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin familia
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English familism
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1972, Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down: “Familism was spread in England by Christopher Vittels, an…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁-mo-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelosreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰh₁melósWiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θamelosWiktionary, Proto-Italic *famelosreconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*famelosWiktionary, Proto-Italic *fameliā‘servant, slave’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*fameliāWiktionary, Latin familia‘of the house → household’reconstructed
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfamiliaWiktionary, English familism‘a household’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1972familismWiktionary, English familism. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1972, Christopher Hill, The World Turned Upside Down: “Familism was spread in England by Christopher Vittels, an…”

Formed from ism

Every English word from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-mo-

Today it means

noun The beliefs or practice of the Family of Love religious sect, active in sixteenth century England.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “familism”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *famelos, Proto-Italic *fameliā, Latin familia. 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 *dʰh₁-mo- / familism

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