Origin and history of dualism

c. 1600, in grammar, "the form or number relating to two," from Latin dualis "that contains two; the dual number, duality," from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two"). General sense of "relating to two, expressing two, composed or consisting of two parts" is from 1650s. Related: Dually.

"of or pertaining to dualism," 1801; see dualism + -istic. Compare French dualistique (by 1764), German dualistisch (1787).

word-forming element making nouns implying a practice, system, doctrine, etc., from French -isme or directly from Latin -isma, -ismus (source also of Italian, Spanish -ismo, Dutch, German -ismus), from Greek -ismos, noun ending signifying the practice or teaching of a thing, from the stem of verbs in -izein, a verb-forming element denoting the doing of the noun or adjective to which it is attached. For distinction of use, see -ity. The related Greek suffix -isma(t)- affects some forms.