Etymology Map
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Philanthropy

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means the desire to promote the welfare of others, especially by giving money

Where does the word "philanthropy" come from? It comes from Greek philanthrōpia, passing through Late Latin before entering English (1600s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
philanthrōpia
Greek · ancient
"love of mankind"
'love of humankind'; in Aeschylus' 'Prometheus Bound' it is the god's crime of helping mortals
2
Stage 2 of 3
philanthropia
Late Latin · ancient
"benevolence"
kindness, humanity
3
Stage 3 of 3
philanthropy
English · 1600s
"charitable giving"
large-scale giving by industrialists like Andrew Carnegie gave it its modern sense in the late 1800s
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Read the full story

Philanthropy’s story begins in Greek: philanthrōpia meant “love of mankind.” 'love of humankind'; in Aeschylus' 'Prometheus Bound' it is the god's crime of helping mortals. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Late Latin as philanthropia. Kindness, humanity. It reached English by 1600s as philanthropy. Large-scale giving by industrialists like Andrew Carnegie gave it its modern sense in the late 1800s. Today, philanthropy means the desire to promote the welfare of others, especially by giving money.