Ism
Origin
From suffix -ism ("belief"), particularly (in the 19th century) in the sense of “social movementâ€. Compare phobia, from -phobia, sophy, from -sophy, itis, from -itis, and ana, from -ana.
Full definition of ism
Noun
ism
(plural isms)- An ideology, system of thought, or practice that can be described by a word ending in -ism.
- 1843, Thomas_Carlyle, , book 2, ch. XV, Practical — Devotional… his religion, his worship was like his daily bread to him; — which he did not take the trouble to talk much about; which he merely ate at stated intervals, and lived and did his work upon! This is ’s Catholicism of the Twelfth Century; — something like the Ism of all true men in all true centuries, I fancy! Alas, compared with any of the Isms current in these poor days, what a thing!
- 1965, Bertram Wolfe, Marxism, One Hundred Years in the Life of a Doctrine, p. 357,An ism does not have to possess the fearful implements of state power to cut off a a deviant or heretical member.
- 1969, Walter E. Minchinton, Mercantilism; System Or Expediency?, p. xi,In his exposition, he has failed to achieve the identification of situation, theory, and policy necessary to create an ism.
- 1986, Matthew Broderick (as Ferris Bueller), Ferris Bueller's Day Off:Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an ism – he should believe in himself.
- 1994, Kenneth Kaye, Workplace Wars and How to End Them, p. 70,It is important to distinguish between an ism and a mere generalization about group differences. Generalizations that have statistical validity are not isms. An ism assumes that the generalization applies to an individual.
- Specifically, a form of discrimination, such as racism or sexism.