Wikipedia
-ism
-ism is a suffix in many English words, originally derived from the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός (-ismos), reaching English through the Latin -ismus, and the French -isme. It is often used in philosophy to define specific ideologies, and, as such, at times it is used as a noun when referring to a broad range of ideologies in a general sense. The suffix 'ism' qua ism is neutral and therefore bears no connotations associated with any of the many ideologies it has been appended to; such determinations can only be informed by public opinion regarding specific ideologies.