syncretism

The story

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromσυγκρητισμός“federation of Cretan cities”
2. Latin · derived fromsyncretismus
3. English todaysyncretism

From Latin syncretismus, from Ancient Greek συγκρητισμός (sunkrētismós, “federation of Cretan cities”), from συγκρητίζω (sunkrētízō, “to unite against a common enemy”), from σύν (sún, “together”) (see English syn-) + Κρῆτες (Krêtes, “Cretans”). By surface analysis, syn- + Crete + -ism (“Crete joining together”).