-ism

English

Suffix

-ism

1. Used to form nouns denoting:
   1. the action or result of a verb

      baptism (from baptise )

   2. a principle, belief or movement

      chauvinism (coined after Nicholas Chauvin)

      conservatism (from conservative)

      externalism

      feminism (from femina, Latin for woman)

      liberalism

      Marxism (coined after Karl Marx )

      masculism (from masculus, Latin for male)

   3. a form of prejudice or discrimination against a particular group of people

      alphabetism (from alphabet)

      nationism (from nation)

      racism (from race)

      religionism (from religion)

      sexism (from sex)

   4. the defining attribute of a person or thing

      heroism (from hero)

      Shakespeareanism (coined after William Shakespeare)

   5. a disorder

      autism (from autós, Greek for "self")

Related terms

• -ist
• -istic