-istic | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

26 entries found.

1706, "of or pertaining to Greece and its culture," from Hellene "an ancient Greek" + -istic. Since 1870s, specifically of Greek culture in the few centuries after Alexander. Related: Hellenistical (1650s). Hellenist "one who uses the Greek language, though not a Greek," is attested from 1610s.

futuristic (adj.)

by 1856 in theology, with reference to prophecy; 1915 as "avant garde, ultra-modern," from futurist (see futurism) + -ic. Meaning "pertaining to the future, predicted to be in the future" is from 1921, from future (n.) + -istic.

heuristic (adj.)

"serving to discover or find out," 1821, irregular formation from Greek heuriskein "to find; find out, discover; devise, invent; get, gain, procure" (from PIE *were- (2) "to find;" cognate with Old Irish fuar "I have found") + -istic. As a noun, from 1860. Greek had heuretikos "inventive," also heurema "an invention, a discovery; that which is found unexpectedly."

logistics (n.)

"art of moving, quartering, and supplying troops," 1846, from French (l'art) logistique "(art) of quartering troops," which apparently is from logis "lodging" (from Old French logeiz "shelter for an army, encampment," from loge; see lodge (n.)) + Greek-derived suffix -istique (see -istic). The form in French was influenced by logistique, from the Latin source of English logistic. Related: Logistical.

characteristic

adjective ("pertaining to or indicating character") and noun ("a distinctive trait; that which gives or indicates character") both first attested 1660s, from character + -istic on model of Greek kharaktēristikos. Earlier in the adjectival sense was characteristical (1620s). Related: Characteristically (1640s). Characteristics "distinctive traits" also attested from 1660s.

simplistic (adj.)

"simple, plain, not compound," 1844, from simple (adj.) + -istic. From 1867 as "over-simple, trying to explain too much by a single principle." Also (1860) "of or pertaining to simples" (herbs used in healing, medicine of one ingredient only; the notion being that each herb possesses a particular virtue, thus a "simple" remedy), from simplist "one who studies simples" (1590s; see simple (adj.)) + -ic.

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