The story
From Arabic عَلَوِيّ (ʕalawiyy) + -ism. By surface analysis, Alawi + -ism. Piecewise doublet of Alevism.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Alawism
Today it means: A syncretic offshoot of Shiism, whose adherents self-identify as Alawites. Full definition →