'communist' originates from French, specifically the word 'communiste', ultimately from Latin 'communis' where 'communis' meant 'common'.

'communis' (Latin) gave rise to French 'communiste' in the 19th century (via the noun 'communisme' for the ideology), and English adopted 'communist' from French usage to denote an adherent of communism.

Initially connected to the idea of 'common' or 'shared', the term evolved by the 19th century to refer specifically to the political doctrine of common ownership and to supporters of that doctrine; it now mostly denotes a supporter or member of a communist movement or party.