Purism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A particular stance that promotes the strict preservation of traditional artistic forms and language usage, avoiding contemporary alterations or influences
2. A belief or practice focused on maintaining original forms without change or modern influence
3. The principle of keeping artistic or linguistic expression pure and unchanged from established standards

Etymology: Purism comes from French "purisme", and its history is largely a story of language reformers trying to police what counts as correct speech. The French word was formed on "pur", meaning pure, with the suffix "-isme", which marks a doctrine or practice. In English the word means an insistence on purity, most often in matters of language, where it names the stance of those who want to strip a tongue of foreign borrowings and outside influence. The suffix tells most of the story. "-ism" attaches to a base to name a belief system or a rigid commitment to a principle, so "purism" is literally the ideology of the pure. Its attachment to "pure" is direct and transparent, and the word did not pass through any other language on its way into English.

Synonyms: purity, conservatism, traditionalism

Antonyms: impurity, corruption, deviation