anti-muslim

The word is a modern English compound formed by directly combining the Greek-derived prefix 'anti-' with the Arabic-derived noun 'Muslim'. The prefix 'anti-' originates from the Greek preposition 'antí', meaning 'against' or 'opposite', which itself has a deep Proto-Indo-European root h₂ent- ('front, forehead'). The term 'Muslim' comes from the Arabic verbal noun 'muslim', the active participle of 'aslama' ('he submitted'), referring to submission to the will of God. The compound's formation follows a transparent and productive English pattern, where 'anti-' is attached to a group identifier to create an adjective describing opposition or prejudice toward that group, paralleling formations like 'anti-Christian' or 'anti-Semitic'.

Structure: anti (against) + muslim (follower of Islam) - anti: From Greek, via Latin and French. A prefix meaning 'against', 'opposite of', or 'rivaling'. - muslim: From Arabic. A noun meaning 'one who submits (to God)', referring to a follower of the religion of Islam. In this compound, it functions as the base noun modified by the prefix.