Gnosticism
/ˈnɒs.tɪ.sɪ.zəm/noun
A set of ancient religious movements emphasizing secret knowledge as the path to spiritual salvation.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek gnōsis (“knowledge”), and Gnostic teachers claimed that saving truth was hidden from ordinary people and unlocked only through revelation.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵneh₃-
“to know”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γιγνώσκειν (gignṓskein)
“to learn, come to know”
Ancient Greek
Greek
γνῶσις (gnôsis)
“knowledge, insight, spiritual knowing”
Late Greek
Greek
γνωστικός (gnōstikós)
“knowing, able to discern”
Late Latin
Latin
gnosticismus
“Gnostic doctrine or system”
Modern English
English
gnosticism
“the doctrines or beliefs of the Gnostics”