Online Etymology Dictionary

philosophy: c.1300, from O.Fr. filosofie (12c.), from L. philosophia, from Gk. philosophia "love of knowledge, wisdom," from philo- "loving" + sophia "knowledge, wisdom," from sophis "wise, learned."
Nec quicquam aliud est philosophia, si interpretari velis, praeter studium sapientiae; sapientia autem est rerum divinarum et humanarum causarumque quibus eae res continentur scientia. [Cicero, "De Officiis"]
Meaning "system a person forms for conduct of life" is attested from 1771. Philosophize is attested from 1594.
ideology: 1796, "science of ideas," originally "philosophy of the mind which derives knowledge from the senses" (as opposed to metaphysics), from Fr. idéologie "study or science of ideas," coined by Fr. philosopher Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836) from idéo- "of ideas," from Gk. idea (see idea) + -logy. Meaning "systematic set of ideas, doctrines" first recorded 1909. Ideologue first recorded 1815, in ref. to the Fr. Revolutionaries.
"Ideology ... is usually taken to mean, a prescriptive doctrine that is not supported by rational argument." [D.D. Raphael, "Problems of Political Philosophy," 1970]
philosophical: early 16c. from philosophy.
Kantian: 1796, of or pertaining to Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) or his philosophy.
Phi Beta Kappa: undergraduate honorary society, 1776, from initials of Gk. philosophia biou kybernetes "philosophy, guide of life."
Cyrene: ancient Gk. colony in Libya, of unknown origin. Cyrenaic refered to the philosophy ("practical hedonism") of Aristippus of Cyrene (c.435-c.356 B.C.E.).
materialism: 1748, “philosophy that nothing exists except matter” (from Fr.); 1851 (in Hawthorne) as “a way of life based entirely on consumer goods.” From material + ism.
cynicism: 1670s, "philosophy of the Cynics," from cynic + -ism. Meaning "cynical character" is from 1847.
epicureanism: 1751, with reference to a philosophy; 1847 in a general sense, from epicurean + -ism.
Esalen: alternative philosophy and human potential movement, 1966, from Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif., from Esselen, name of an extinct Native American people of the California coast.
Anschauung: "sense-perception," c.1856, from Ger., "mode of view," lit. "looking at," from anschauen "to look at," from M.H.G. aneschouwen (related to show (v.)). A term in Kantian philosophy.
consequentialism: 1969, from consequential + -ism. The philosophy that the morality of an action is to be judged solely by its consequences. Related: Consequentialist.
arete: important concept in Gk. philosophy, "virtue, excellence," lit. "that which is good." The comp. form is areion, the superl. is aristos (cf. aristocracy).
Sutra: "series of aphorisms," 1801, from Skt. sutram "rule," lit. "string, thread" (as a measure of straightness), from sivyati "sew;" cognate with L. suere "to sew" (see sew). Applied to rules of grammar, law, philosophy, etc., along with their commentaries.
individualism: "self-centered feeling," 1827, from individual + -ism. As a social philosophy (opposed to communism and socialism) first attested 1851 in writings of J.S. Mill.
material: late 14c. (adj.) "pertaining to matter," a term in scholastic philosophy and theology, from L.L. materialis (adj.) "of or belonging to matter," from L. materia "matter, stuff, wood, timber" (see matter). The noun is attested from 1550s.
muscular: 1680s, "pertaining to muscles," from Mod.L. musculus (see muscle). Meaning "having well-developed muscles" is from 1736. Muscular Christianity (1857) is originally in ref. to philosophy of Anglican clergyman and novelist Charles Kingsley (1819-1875).
demiurge: 1678, from Latinized form of Gk. demiourgos, lit. "public or skilled worker" (from demos "common people" + ergos "work"). The title of a magistrate in some Gk. city-states and the Achæan League; taken in Platonic philosophy as a name for the maker of the world. In the Gnostic system, "conceived as a being subordinate to the Supreme Being, and sometimes as the author of evil" [OED].
modification: c.1500, in philosophy, from Fr. modification (14c.) or directly from L. modificationem, noun of action from modificare (see modify). Meaning “to alter an object to bring it up to date” is from 1774. Biological sense is attested by 1896.
anarchic: 1790, "chaotic, without order or rule," from Gk. anakhos (see anarchy) + -ic. An older word in this sense was anarchical (1590s). Differentiated from anarchistic (1884) which tends to refer to the political philosophy of anarchism.
categorical: 1590s, as a term in logic, "unqualified, asserting absolutely," from category + -ical. Categorical imperative, from the philosophy of Kant, first recorded 1827. Related: Categorically.
molecule: 1794, "extremely minute particle," from Fr. molécule (1678), from Mod.L. molecula, dim. of L. moles "mass, barrier" (see mole (3)). A vague meaning at first; the vogue for the word (used until late 18c. only in Latin form) can be traced to the philosophy of Descartes. First used in modern scientific sense by Amedeo Avogadro (1811).
sattva: "truth" (in Hindu philosophy), from Skt. sattvah "truth," lit. "being," cognate with Goth. sunjis, O.E. soð "true" (see sooth).
transcendent: 1590s, from L. transcendentem, prp. of transcendere (see transcend). Transcendentalism first recorded 1803, in reference to the philosophy of Kant; applied 1842 to the religio-philosophical views of Emerson and similar New England thinkers. Transcendental meditation is recorded from 1966.
existential: 1690s, "pertaining to existence," from L.L. existentialis, from existentia (see existence). As a term in logic, from 1819; in philosophy, from 1937, tracing back to the Dan. work of Kierkegaard (see existentialism). Related: Existentially.
fetishism: in the purely psycho-sexual sense first recorded 1897 in writings of Henry Havelock Ellis (1859-1939), from fetish + -ism.
"In certain perversions of the sexual instinct, the person, part of the body, or particular object belonging to the person by whom the impulse is excited, is called the fetish of the patient." [E. Morselli in "Baldwin Dictionary of Philosophy," 1901]
pluralism: 1818, as a term in church administration, from plural (q.v.) + -ism. Attested from 1882 as a term in philosophy for a theory which recognizes more than one ultimate principle. In political science, attested from 1919 (in Harold J. Laski) in sense "theory which opposes monolithic state power." Gen. sense of "toleration of diversity within a society or state" is from 1933.
dunce: 1577, from earlier Duns disciple "follower of John Duns Scotus" (c. 1265-1308), Scot. scholar of philosophy and theology supposed to have been born at Duns in Berwickshire. By 16c., humanist reaction against medieval theology singled him out as the type of the hairsplitting scholastic. It became a term of reproach to more conservative philosophical opponents c.1527, later extended to any dull-witted student.
Confucius: 1837, Latinization of Chinese K'ung Fu-tzu "K'ung the philosopher (or Master)" (c.551 B.C.E.-c.479 B.C.E.). The name first appears in a L. publication of Chinese works (Paris, 1687). Connection with the martial arts kung-fu is obscure, uncertain. His philosophy based on the Golden Rule: "What you do not like when done to yourself do not do to others." Related: Confucian (adj., 1837); Confucianism (1846).
contextual: c.1820, from context on model of textual, etc. In philosophy, contextual definition is recorded from 1934, along with contextualization, contextualize. Related: Contextualized.
logic: mid-14c., "branch of philosophy that treats of forms of thinking," from O.Fr. logique, from L. (ars) logica, from Gk. logike (techne) "reasoning (art)," from fem. of logikos "pertaining to speaking or reasoning," from logos "reason, idea, word" (see logos). Meaning "logical argumentation" is from c.1600.
realism: 1817, from real (adj.), after Fr. réalisme or Ger. Realismus, from L.L. realis "real." Opposed to idealism in philosophy, art, etc. In ref. to scholastic doctrine of Thomas Aquinas (opposed to nominalism) it is recorded from 1826. Meaning "close resemblance to the scene" (in art, literature, etc., often with ref. to unpleasant details) is attested from 1856.
jurisprudence: 1628, "knowledge of law," from L. jurisprudentia "the science of law," from juris "of right, of law" (gen. of jus; see jurist) + prudentia "knowledge, a foreseeing" (see prudence). Meaning "the philosophy of law" is first attested 1756.
activity: 1540s, "state of being active," from Fr. activité, from M.L. activitatem (nom. activitas), a word in Scholastic philosophy, from L. activus (see active). Meaning "state of being active, briskness, liveliness" recorded from 1520s. Activities in schoolwork sense is from 1923, Amer. Eng.
dynamic: 1817, as a term in philosophy; 1827 in the sense "force producing motion," from Fr. dynamique (1762), from Ger. dynamisch, introduced by Leibnitz 1691 from Gk. dynamikos "powerful," from dynamis "power," from dynasthai "be able to have power," of unknown origin. The figurative sense of "active, potent, energetic" is from 1856. Related: Dynamically.
hedonist: 1822, in reference to the Cyrenaic school of philosophy that deals with the ethics of pleasure, from Gk. hedonikos "pleasurable," from hedone "pleasure," related to hedys "sweet" (see sweet). A hedonist is properly the follower of any ethical system in which the highest good is some sort of pleasure. The Epicurian identifies this with the practice of virtue.
monad: "unity, arithmetical unit," 1615, from L. monas (gen. monadis), from Gk. monas "unit," from monos "alone" (see mono-). In Leibnitz's philosophy, "an ultimate unit of being" (1748).
scholastic: 1596, "of or pertaining to Scholastic theologians" (Churchmen in the Middle Ages whose theology and philosophy was based on Church Fathers and Aristotle), from M.Fr. scholastique, from L. scholasticus "learned," from Gk. skholastikos "studious, learned" (see school (1)). Meaning "pertaining to schools or to school education" is from 1647. Scholasticism is attested from 1756.
rugged: early 14c., "rough, shaggy, careworn" (originally of animals), from O.N. rogg "shaggy tuft" (see rug). "The precise relationship to ragged is not quite clear, but the stem is no doubt ultimately the same" [OED]. Meaning "strong, robust" is Amer.Eng., 1848.
"We were challenged with a peace-time choice between the American system of rugged individualism and a European philosophy of diametrically opposed doctrines -- doctrines of paternalism and state socialism." [Herbert Hoover, 1928]
peripatetic: c.1400, n., "disciple of Aristotle," from O.Fr. perypatetique (14c.), from L. peripateticus "pertaining to the disciples or philosophy of Aristotle," from Gk. peripatetikos "given to walking about" (especially while teaching), from peripatein, from peri- "around" + patein "to walk." Aristotle's custom was to teach while strolling through the Lyceum in Athens. In Eng., the philosophical meaning is older than that of "person who wanders about" (1617). As an adj., attested in Eng. 1566 in the philosophical sense, 1642 in the lit. sense.
dialectic: late 14c., from L. dialectica, from Gk. dialektike (techne) "(art of) philosophical discussion or discourse," fem. of dialektikos "of conversation, discourse," from dialektos "discourse, conversation" (see dialect). Originally synonymous with logic; in modern philosophy refined by Kant, then by Hegel, who made it mean "process of resolving or merging contradictions in character." Related: Dialectical; dialectics.
idea: 1430, "figure, image, symbol," from L. idea "idea," and in Platonic philosophy "archetype," from Gk. idea "ideal prototype," lit. "look, form," from idein "to see," from PIE *wid-es-ya-, suffixed form of base *weid- "to see" (see vision). Sense of "result of thinking" first recorded 1645.
"Men of one idea, like a hen with one chicken, and that a duckling." [Thoreau, "Walden"]
timocracy: 1586, from M.Fr. tymocracie, from M.L. timocratia (13c.), from Gk. timokratia, from time "honor, worth" (related to tiein "to place a value on, to honor") + -kratia "rule." In Plato's philosophy, a form of government in which ambition for power and glory motivates the rulers (as in Sparta). In Aristotle, a form of government in which political power is in direct proportion to property ownership.
wizard: c.1440, "philosopher, sage," from M.E. wys "wise" (see wise (adj.)) + -ard. Cf. Lith. zynyste "magic," zynys "sorcerer," zyne "witch," all from zinoti "to know." The ground sense is perhaps "to know the future." The meaning "one with magical power" did not emerge distinctly until c.1550, the distinction between philosophy and magic being blurred in the Middle Ages. As a slang word meaning "excellent" it is recorded from 1922.
ethic: late 14c., ethik "study of morals," from O.Fr. ethique, from L.L. ethica, from Gk. ethike philosophia "moral philosophy," fem. of ethikos "ethical," from ethos "moral character," related to ethos "custom" (see ethos). Meaning "a person's moral principles," attested from 1650s.
relative (n.): 1388, "a relative pronoun," from O.Fr. relatif (13c.), from L.L. relativus "having reference or relation," from L. relatus, pp. of referre "to refer." Meaning "person in the same family" first recorded 1657; the adj. is attested from 1530. Relatively "in relation to something else" is recorded from 1561. Relativism in philosophy first recorded 1865 (relativist is from 1863).
second nature: late 14c., from L. secundum naturam "according to nature" (Augustine, Macrobius, etc.), lit. "following nature;" from medieval Aristotelian philosophy, contrasted to phenomena that were super naturam ("above nature," such as God's grace), extra naturam ("outside nature"), supra naturam ("beyond nature," such as miracles), contra naturam "against nature," etc.
discreet: mid-14c., from O.Fr. discret, from L. discretus "separated, distinct," in M.L. "discerning, careful," from pp. of discernere "distinguish" (see discern). Spellings discrete and nativized discreet co-existed until after c.1600, when discreet became the common word for "careful, prudent," and discrete was maintained in philosophy, medicine, music and other disciplines that remembered L. and tried to stick close to it. Related: Discreetly.
reduce: late 14c., "bring back," from O.Fr. reducer (14c.), from L. reducere, from re- "back" + ducere "bring, lead" (see duke). Sense of "to lower, diminish, lessen" is from 1787. Etymological sense preserved in military reduce to ranks (1640s). Reduction is attested from late 15c.; reductionism in philosophy is recorded from 1948.
quintessence: early 15c., in ancient and medieval philosophy, "pure essence, substance of which the heavenly bodies are composed," lit. "fifth essence," from M.Fr. quinte essence (14c.), from M.L. quinta essentia, from L. quinta, fem. of quintus "fifth" + essentia (see essence). Loan-translation of Gk. pempte ousia, the "ether" added by Aristotle to the four known elements (water, earth, fire, air) and said to permeate all things. Its extraction was one of the chief goals of alchemy. Sense of "purest essence" (of a situation, character, etc.) is first recorded 1580s.