DictionaryRoot: -isme
French
-isme
an action, practice, or system
Forms
- -isme
- -ism — English dropped the final e.
Origin
Through Latin -ismus from Greek -ismos.
Note
The ending can name a habit or process as well as a doctrine.
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noun
chauvinism
SHOH-vih-niz-um/ˈʃəʊvɪnɪzəm/
An excessive conviction that one's group is superior to others.
Etymology
Chauvin was a theatrical soldier whose devotion to Napoleon outlasted the Empire. His name became a label for blind nationalism, later broadened to prejudiced claims of superiority for other groups.