Communist
/ˈkɒm.jə.nɪst/noun
A person who supports or belongs to a communist political movement or system.
Did you know?Its deeper Latin root, munus, could mean both a duty owed to the community and a gift offered to others—two ideas fused in the word’s ancestry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mei-
“To change, exchange, or share; a reconstructed root associated with reciprocal relations.”
Classical Latin
Latin
munus
“A service, duty, obligation, or gift offered to a community.”
Classical Latin
Latin
communis
“Common, shared, or belonging to all; literally formed with com-, “together,” and munis, “serving or obligated.””
Medieval Latin
Latin
communista
“A person associated with communal ownership or shared goods; an early specialized formation.”
1840s
French
communiste
“A supporter of communism, especially in emerging socialist and communalist movements.”
1841–1848
English
communist
“A person advocating communism; the term became widely established in English during the era of Marx and Engels.”
Explore more surprising origins