Etymologically
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racism

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 11:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹeɪsɪzm̩/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is probably from French racisme,[2] or formed in English from race and -ism.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The doctrine of racial supremacy, the theory that human characteristics and abilities are determined by race: by 1928, in a European context, and in common use from 1935;[4] MWU's first known use is 1902.[2]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline quotes James Strachey Barnes's The Universal Aspects of Fascism (1928), which speaks of Racism as the principle of racial self-determination.[4] It was applied to American social systems from the late 1930s.[4] The sense of prejudice and discrimination against people of another race, the same as racialism, is from 1936.[5][6] The related racist is from about the same period.[4]

Timeline

  • 1902 – first known use (MWU).[2]
  • 1928 – the doctrine of racial supremacy.[4]
  • 1936 – racial prejudice.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Prejudice, discrimination or hostility directed against people because of their race or ethnicity.
  2. The belief that races have inherited characteristics that make some superior to others.

Word family

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins