ism

From the suffix -ism (“belief”), particularly (in the 19th century) in the sense of "social movement". Compare phobia, from -phobia, sophy, from -sophy, itis, from -itis, and ana, from -ana.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪz.əm/

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• Rhymes: -ɪzəm

ism (plural isms)

1. An ideology, system of thought, or practice that can be described by a word ending in -ism.

   Synonym: whateverism

   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, chapter XV, in Past and Present‎, book 2:

     […] 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 Abbot Samson’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!

   • 1887 August, W[illiam] G[raham] Sumner, “State Interference”, in North American Review:

     If it gives way to sentimentalism, or sensibility, or political mysticism, or adopts an affectation of radicalism, or any other ism, or molds its institutions so as to round out to a more complete fulfillment somebody's theory of the universe, it may fall into an era of revolution and political insecurity […]

   • 1965, Bertram David Wolfe, Marxism, One Hundred Years in the Life of a Doctrine, page 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?, page xi:

     In his exposition, he has failed to achieve the identification of situation, theory, and policy necessary to create an ism.

   • 1986, John Hughes, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, spoken by Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick):

     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, page 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.

2. (specifically) A form of discrimination, such as racism or sexism.

• isms and schisms

• ideology
• ist
• philosophy
• wasm

• "isms" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 173.

• IMS, IMs, MIS, MIs, MSI, SIM, Sim, mis-, sim

ism

1. root (of a plant)

From Arabic اِسْم‎ (ism).

ism (plural ismát)

1. name

From Persian اسم‎ (esm), from Arabic اِسْم‎ (ism).

ism (plural ismlar)

1. name
2. (grammar) noun