catharsis

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kəˈθɑːsɪs/ (UK); /kəˈθɑɹˌsɪs/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is from New Latin catharsis,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek κάθαρσις (kátharsis, “purging, cleansing”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from kathaírein “to purge, cleanse”, from katharós “pure, clean”.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} It is related to cathartic.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

A bodily purging, especially of the bowels (1770 in Etymonline; 1803 in Barnhart and the OED).^[4][3][7]

Semantic evolution

The sense of purifying the emotions through vicarious experience, especially through tragic drama as described by Aristotle, is recorded from 1867–72.^[7][3][4][2] In psychotherapy, from 1909, the word meant relieving tension by bringing repressed feelings to consciousness,^[7][4][2] first in Brill's translation of Freud.^[4] The adjective cathartic is older, from 1612.^[3]

Timeline

• 1612 – cathartic.^[3]
• 1770 – a bodily purging.^[4]
• 1867 – purification of the emotions through drama.^[7]
• 1909 – in psychotherapy.^[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.
2. The purging of the emotions, especially pity and fear, that Aristotle described as an effect of tragedy on its audience.
3. In psychotherapy, the relief of tension by bringing repressed feelings to consciousness; abreaction.
4. Purging, especially of the digestive system.

Related words

• cathartic

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press