hedonism

Where does the word "hedonism" come from? It comes from Greek hedone, and was adopted directly into English (1856).

Hedonism’s story begins in Greek: hedone meant “pleasure.” Pleasure, delight. It reached English by 1856 as hedonism. Coined for the philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good. Today, hedonism means the pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence as life's primary goal.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient hedone "pleasure", pleasure, delight.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1856 hedonism "the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good", coined for the philosophical belief that pleasure is the highest good.