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gnostic

Etymology and origin of the English word gnostic

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈnɒstɪk/ (UK); /ˈnɑstɪk/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin Gnosticus (“a Gnostic”),[2][3][4][5][6] from Ancient Greek γνωστικός (gnōstikós, “knowing, able to discern”),[2][3][4][5][6] from gnōstós “known”, from gignṓskein “to come to know”.[3][4][5] It is related to gnosis, know and agnostic.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

(capitalized) A member of one of the early Christian sects that claimed superior knowledge of spiritual things (1563 in the OED; 1585–87 in Barnhart).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

The Gnostic sects appeared in the first century, flourished in the second, and had died out by the sixth.[4] The adjective, relating to knowledge, is recorded from 1656,[3][7][4] and from 1800 it meant possessing esoteric spiritual knowledge.[7] In 19th-century humorous slang it meant clever or knowing (1819).[7] Gnosticism is from 1664.[3]

Timeline

  • 1563 – a member of the Gnostic sects.[7]
  • 1656 – adjective, relating to knowledge.[3][7]
  • 1664 – Gnosticism.[3]
  • 1800 – possessing esoteric knowledge.[7]
  • 1819 – slang, clever, knowing.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or possessing intellectual or spiritual knowledge.
  2. (capitalized) Of or relating to Gnosticism or the Gnostics.

Noun

  1. (often capitalized) A believer in Gnosticism.

Word family

  • gnostically
  • antignostic
  • ungnostic

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Gnostic.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/gnostic. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·