Eudemonia
/ˌjuː.dəˈmoʊ.ni.ə/noun
A state of human flourishing, well-being, or happiness.
Did you know?In Greek thought, eudaimonia was not mere pleasure but the highest human good, a life aligned with virtue and purpose under a guiding daimon.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
εὐδαιμονία (eudaimonía)
“good fortune, happiness, flourishing; being favored by a benevolent daimon”
Classical Greek
Greek
εὔδαιμων (eúdaimōn)
“blessed, fortunate, having a good spirit or guardian power”
Ancient Greek
Greek
δαίμων (daímōn)
“a divine power or spirit, not originally a demon in the later Christian sense”
Late Latin
Latin
eudaimonia
“a transliterated Greek philosophical term for well-being or flourishing”
Modern English
English
eudemonia
“a philosophical term for human flourishing or well-being”
Explore more surprising origins