The etymology of the word traces its origin to the 16th century Latin "dissidentem" meaning "to be remote, disagree, be removed from". As a noun, dissident is used to refer to Protestants. Modern usage of the noun in a political arena dates to 1940 associated with the rise of totalitarian governments. [ref]http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=dissident&searchmode=none[/ref] | The etymology of the word traces its origin to the 16th century Latin "dissidentem" meaning "to be remote, disagree, be removed from". As a noun, dissident is used to refer to Protestants. Modern usage of the noun in a political arena dates to 1940 associated with the rise of totalitarian governments. [ref]http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=dissident&searchmode=none[/ref] |