Sionism
/ˈsaɪ.ə.nɪzəm/noun
An alternative spelling of Zionism, the movement supporting a Jewish national homeland in the historic Land of Israel.
Did you know?“Sion” is an older English spelling of “Zion,” the biblical name associated with Jerusalem and later with an idealized heavenly city.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
צִיּוֹן (Ṣiyyōn)
“Zion, a name for a hill or stronghold in Jerusalem”
Septuagint Greek
Greek
Σιών (Siṓn)
“Zion, transliterated from the Hebrew Bible”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Sion
“Zion, especially Jerusalem in biblical and Christian writing”
Middle English
English
Sion
“Zion, an established English spelling of the biblical place-name”
19th Century
English
Sionism
“An alternative form of Zionism, referring to the movement for Jewish national restoration”
Modern English
English
Sionism
“A less common variant spelling of Zionism”