Etymologically
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communist

Etymology and origin of the English word communist

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1841
Borrowed from
French communiste
Ultimate origin
French (communiste)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒm.jʊ.nɪst/ (UK); /ˈkɑ.mjə.nɪst/, /ˈkɑ.mju.nɪst/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French communiste,[2][3][4] from commun “common” (see common) and -iste (see -ist).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An adherent of communism: 1841 in Etymonline, 1841–42 in the OED, 1840 in MWU.[2][5][3] It is first attested in English in the writing of John Goodwin Barmby, a British Owenite and utopian socialist who founded the London Communist Propaganda Society in 1841.[2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective is also from 1841.[2][5] The main modern sense, an opponent of capitalism and supporter of revolutionary leftism, emerged after the Communist Manifesto of 1848,[2] and a supporter of Communism, especially of the Soviet kind, is from 1850 in the OED.[5] It was used, wrongly according to the OED, for a supporter of the Paris Commune, a Communard, in 1870.[5] A radical seen as subversive is an extended use.[6] The shortening Commie is from 1939.[2]

Timeline

  • 1841 – an adherent of communism.[2][5]
  • 1848 – the Communist Manifesto.[2]
  • 1850 – a supporter of Communism.[5]
  • 1870 – a Communard.[5]
  • 1939 – Commie.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A supporter of communism.
  2. (often Communist) A member of a Communist party.

Adjective

  1. Relating to communism or Communists.

Word family

  • communistic
  • communistically
  • Chicom
  • procommunist
  • communist party

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Communist.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/communist. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·