ascetic

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈsɛ.tɪk/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀσκητικός (askētikós, “laborious, rigorously self-disciplined”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from askētḗs “one who exercises; hermit, monk”,^[2][3][4][5] from askeîn “to work, exercise, train”.^[2][3][4][5] Before meaning a monk, askētḗs meant one who practises an art or trade, and especially an athlete in training.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, practising rigorous self-denial as a religious exercise (1646).^[3][4][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The Stoics applied the Greek word to the control of appetites and passions as the path to virtue, and the early Christians took it over from them.^[4] The noun, one who is rigorous in self-denial, is recorded from 1660,^[3][7][4] and from 1673 it named the early Christians who withdrew into solitude to live lives of prayer and self-denial.^[7][4]

Timeline

• 1610s – ascetical.^[4]
• 1646 – adjective, severely abstinent, and asceticism.^[3][5][7]
• 1660 – noun, one rigorous in self-denial.^[3][7]
• 1673 – noun, one of the early Christian hermits.^[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who gives up material comforts and lives a life of strict self-discipline, especially for religious reasons.
2. In the early Christian church, a monk or hermit.

Adjective

1. Practising strict self-denial for spiritual or personal discipline.
2. Austere and severe in appearance, manner or way of life.

Word family

• ascetically
• asceticism
• unascetic

Related words

• askesis

Usage notes

Random House lists anchorite, recluse and cenobite as synonyms of the noun, strict, frugal and plain as synonyms of the adjective, and self-indulgent as its antonym.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press