κάθαρσις

Forms

κᾰ́θᾰρσῐς (kátharsis) f (genitive κᾰθᾰ́ρσεως); third declension^[1] Elean κόθαρσις.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek καθαίρω (kathaírō, “to cleanse”) + -σις (-sis).^[1][3] The verb comes from καθαρός (katharós, “pure, clean”), which Beekes considers Pre-Greek because of its variation between α and ο.^[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Herodotus uses it for the ritual cleansing of a man from bloodguilt.^[2][6][7]

Semantic evolution

The word covered every kind of purging, of visible dirt and of invisible defilement.^[6] Plato defines purification as separating the soul as far as possible from the body, and uses it in the Cratylus and the Sophist.^[2][8] In Hippocratic medicine it was the clearing off of morbid humours, natural or caused by drugs, and also the menses.^[2][8] Aristotle's definition of tragedy, which through pity and fear accomplishes the purging of such emotions, gave it its most famous use.^[2][8]

Later it meant the cleansing of the universe by fire for the Stoics, the clarification of a problem for Epicurus, the pruning of trees for Theophrastus, and the winnowing of grain in the papyri.^[2] The Septuagint uses it for a woman's purification after childbirth.^[9] The Latin rites of lūstrātiō were what the Greeks called κάθαρσις.^[10]

Medieval Greek used it for moral purification and for bodily evacuation, and it survives as κάθαρση (kátharsi).^[11][1] English took catharsis in 1770 as a medical term for purging; the sense of emotional release dates from 1872, and the psychotherapeutic one from 1909.^[12]

Timeline

• 5th century BC – Herodotus uses it for ritual purification from bloodguilt.^[2][6][13]
• 5th century BC – Hippocratic writers use it for evacuation of the body and for the menses.^[2][13]
• 4th century BC – Plato defines it as separating the soul from the body.^[2][8][13]
• 4th century BC – Aristotle uses it for the purging of pity and fear through tragedy.^[2][8][13]
• 4th–3rd century BC – Theophrastus uses it for the pruning of trees.^[2][13]
• 2nd century BC – Papyri use it for the winnowing of grain.^[2]
• 1100–1669 – Vernacular texts use it for moral purification and bodily evacuation.^[11]
• 1770 – English borrows catharsis as a medical term.^[12]
• Modern Greek – It survives as κάθαρση (kátharsi).^[1][11]

Meanings

Noun

1. Cleansing from guilt or defilement, ritual purification.^[2][8]
2. (philosophy) Purification of the soul, its separation from the body.^[2][8]
3. Cleaning (of a horse, of grain); cleansing of food before or by cooking.^[8][2]
4. (medicine) Clearing off of morbid humours, evacuation, purging; the menses.^[2][8]
5. The purging of emotions such as pity and fear through tragedy, catharsis.^[2][8]
6. Clarification, explanation.^[2]
7. Pruning of trees.^[2]
8. Winnowing of grain; clearing of land.^[2]

Related words

• καθαίρω (kathaírō)
• καθαρός (katharós)
• Latin catharsis
• English catharsis

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; Jones, Henry Stuart (1940), A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ Βικιλεξικό, the Greek Wiktionary, https://el.wiktionary.org
4. ^ Μανδουλίδης, Ετυμολογικό λεξικό της αρχαίας ελληνικής
5. ^ Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010), Etymological Dictionary of Greek, with the assistance of Lucien van Beek, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 10, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c Cancik, Hubert; Schneider, Helmuth, eds. (2002–2010), Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ Keersmaekers, Alek (2021–2025), GLAUx: The Greek Language Automated corpus, https://github.com/alekkeersmaekers/glaux
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Diggle, James, et al., eds. (2021), The Cambridge Greek Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
9. ^ Lust, Johan; Eynikel, Erik; Hauspie, Katrin (2003), Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint, rev. ed., Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft
10. ^ Smith, William; Wayte, William; Marindin, G. E., eds. (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 3rd ed., London: John Murray
11. ^ a b c Kriaras, Emmanuel, Επιτομή του Λεξικού της μεσαιωνικής ελληνικής δημώδους γραμματείας 1100–1669, Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας, https://www.greek-language.gr
12. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
13. ^ a b c d e Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco, et al., eds. (1980–), Diccionario Griego-Español, Madrid: CSIC, http://dge.cchs.csic.es/xdge