classicism

C2+ Topic:Culture & History

US /ˈklæsəˌsɪzəm/ UK /ˈklæsɪˌsɪzəm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
adherence to the principles of ancient Greek and Roman art and culture

The facade's restraint reflects a strict classicism.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · adherence to the principles... traditionalism formalism

Opposites

romanticism modernism

Word family

Derived forms classicist

Related forms classic classical class

Etymology

From classic + -ism, from Latin classicus ('of the highest class, first-rate'), from classis ('class, division').

classicus Latin classis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Culture & History Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# classicism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈklæsəˌsɪzəm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈklæsɪˌsɪzəm/

## Meanings
1. adherence to the principles of ancient Greek and Roman art and culture

## Examples
- The facade's restraint reflects a strict classicism.

## Synonyms
- traditionalism
- formalism

## Antonyms
- romanticism
- modernism

## Derived Forms
- classicist

## Related Forms
- classic
- classical
- class

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: classicus
- Root: classis

## Etymology
From classic + -ism, from Latin classicus ('of the highest class, first-rate'), from classis ('class, division').

## AI Etymology
Classicism comes from classic + -ism, from Latin classicus ('of the highest class, first-rate'), from classis ('class, division'). The historical trail runs through classicus in Latin and classis in Latin. Morphologically, classicism is transparent: it draws on classic + -ism, from Latin classicus ('of the highest class, first-rate'), from classis ('class, division'). Used as a noun, classicism now means "adherence to the principles of ancient Greek and Roman art and culture", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as classicist and related forms such as classic, classical, and class. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Culture & History
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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