Thesaurism
/ˈθiː.sɔː.rɪz.əm/noun
The accumulation or hoarding of wealth, objects, or information as a treasure.
Did you know?Thesaurism belongs to the same linguistic family as “thesaurus,” whose original Greek sense was a treasury or storehouse—later used metaphorically for a treasury of words.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
θησαυρός (thēsauros)
“A treasure, treasury, storehouse, or deposit of valuable things”
Ancient Greek
Greek
θησαυρίζειν (thēsaurizein)
“To store up or hoard treasure”
Classical Latin
Latin
thēsaurus
“A treasure, treasury, or store of valuable objects”
Middle English
English
tresor / thesaurus
“Treasure or a treasury; later also a collected store of knowledge”
19th Century
English
thesaurism
“The practice or condition of accumulating treasure, wealth, objects, or information”
Modern English
English
thesaurism
“Hoarding or systematic accumulation, especially of valuables or knowledge”
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