evangelicalism
UK[ˌiːvænˈdʒelɪkəlɪzəm]US[ˌiːvænˈdʒelɪkəlɪzəm]
n
a protestant christian movement that emphasizes the authority of the bible, personal conversion, and preaching the gospel.
n
zealous advocacy or support for a particular cause, often with a fervent or missionary character.
Morpheme Breakdown
evangel
ical
ism
evangel
good news
ical
adjective suffix
ism
doctrine/system
Etymology
the term originates from the greek 'euangelion', meaning "good news" or "gospel," which itself combines 'eu-' (good) and 'angelia' (message). this core concept entered late latin as 'evangelium'. in english, the adjective 'evangelical' was formed by adding the latin-derived suffix '-ical' to denote "pertaining to the gospel." the final abstraction into 'evangelicalism' employs the greek-derived suffix '-ism', which systematically denotes a distinctive practice or ideology. thus, the word's literal journey from "good message" to a specific christian doctrine, and later to any fervently promoted cause, illustrates how a concrete ancient term evolved into a label for a system of belief and its associated zeal.
Analysis
Structure: evangel (good news) + ical (adjective suffix) + ism (doctrine/system)
evangel is from greek 'euangelion' (good news, gospel). ical is an english adjectival suffix from latin 'icalis'. ism is a noun-forming suffix from greek 'ismos', denoting a system, doctrine, or practice.
Examples
his theological views are deeply rooted in evangelicalism.
the rise of evangelicalism in the 18th century emphasized personal faith and revivalism.
she approaches environmental activism with almost an evangelicalism, passionately convincing others to join the cause.