charisma

charisma · noun

1. GermanCharisma
2. Ancient Greekχᾰ́ρῐσμᾰ“grace, favour, gift”
3. Englishcharisma

From Ancient Greek χᾰ́ρῐσμᾰ (khắrĭsmă, “grace, favour, gift”), from χᾰρῐ́ζομαι (khărĭ́zomai, “to show favor”), from χᾰ́ρῐς (khắrĭs, “grace”), from the same root χαρ- (khar-) as χαίρω (khaírō, “to be happy”). Doublet of charism. First attested in 1875. Outside of theology, as early as 1930, charisma was found in a translation of a book written by German sociologist Max Weber, which OED and Etymonline regards as a semantic loan from German Charisma, denoting the special ability of certain leaders to inspire devotion (sense 1). By the 1940s and more clearly in the 1950s, the term was used more loosely to refer to personal charm in general (sense 1.1).

More words from Ancient Greek, German

Charisma · proper noun

1. Ancient Greekχάρισμα
2. EnglishCharisma

From the common noun charisma, from Ancient Greek χάρισμα (khárisma).

More words from Ancient Greek