English
indeterminism
Indeterminism comes from French déterminisme ‘determinism’, from Latin dēterminō ‘to delimit’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ter-1‘tender, weak’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥1‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥1‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nos1‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminus1‘bound, limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminō2‘to limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēterminō3as dētermināre‘to delimit’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdéterminer4‘to determine, establish’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdéterminisme5‘determinism’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentindéterminisme6
- Englishearliest quotation 1937indeterminism6
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin termino
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin determino
- 3 Wiktionary, French déterminer
- 4 Wiktionary, French déterminisme
- 5 Wiktionary, French indéterminisme
- 6 Wiktionary, English indeterminism
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1937, Pitirim Aleksandrovich Sorokin: “There is a whole gradation of more or less…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ter-Wiktionary, Latin termino‘tender, weak’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térmn̥Wiktionary, Latin termino‘boundary, end’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*termn̥Wiktionary, Latin termino‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*term(e)nosWiktionary, Latin termino‘boundary stone’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminusWiktionary, Latin termino‘bound, limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterminōWiktionary, Latin determino‘to limit’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēterminōWiktionary, French détermineras dētermināre‘to delimit’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdéterminerWiktionary, French déterminisme‘to determine, establish’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdéterminismeWiktionary, French indéterminisme‘determinism’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentindéterminismeWiktionary, English indeterminism
- Englishearliest quotation 1937indeterminismWiktionary, English indeterminism. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1937, Pitirim Aleksandrovich Sorokin: “There is a whole gradation of more or less…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘tender, weak’
thrill, intrigue, treachery, thro, inextricable, 25 more
through Proto-Indo-European *térmn̥ ‘boundary, end’
through Proto-Italic *term(e)nos ‘boundary stone’
terminal, extermination, terminus, 18 more
through Latin terminus ‘bound, limit’
through Latin terminō ‘to limit’
termination, terminate, terminator, interminable, 7 more
through Latin dēterminō ‘to delimit’
Today it means
noun The doctrine that all human actions are not so much determined by the preceding events, conditions, causes or karma as by deliberate choice or free will.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “indeterminism”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin termino, Latin determino, French déterminer, French déterminisme, French indéterminisme. 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 *ter- / indeterminism