English
catharsis
Catharsis comes from Ancient Greek κάθαρσις ‘cleansing, purging’, and goes back to καθαρός.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαθαρός‘clean’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκαθαίρωkathaírō‘I cleanse’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκάθαρσιςkátharsis‘cleansing, purging’
- Englishearliest quotation 1926catharsis
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκαθαρός‘clean’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκαθαίρωkathaírō‘I cleanse’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκάθαρσιςkátharsis‘cleansing, purging’
- Englishearliest quotation 1926catharsis
Earliest quotation: 1926, G.P. Engelhard & Company, News of The Medical World: “Saline catharses deplete the system of body fluids and…”
The story
Coined in the dramatic-emotional sense by Aristotle.
Every English word from Ancient Greek καθαρός
Today it means
noun A release of emotional tension after an overwhelming vicarious experience, resulting in the purging or purification of the emotions, as through watching a dramatic production (especially a tragedy).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek καθαρός / catharsis