entry
cathartic
/kəˈθɑːrtɪk/Purging physically or relieving intense emotional tension
From Greek cathar (pure).
from Greek kathartikos "fit for cleansing, purgative,"
from Latin catharticus
+1 more sourcefrom Latin catharticus
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Greek kathartikos "fit for cleansing, purgative,"
from Latin catharticus
+1 more sourcefrom Latin catharticus
+1 more sourcePicture a seventeenth-century physician reaching for a bottle meant to cleanse the body from within: that was the original neighborhood of “cathartic,” first recorded in English in the 1610s. Its Greek ancestor, katharsis, meant purging or cleansing, but Aristotle gave the idea a dramatic twist: tragedy could purge an audience’s pity and fear without anyone taking a medicinal draught. The same Greek “pure” also appears in Cathar, the name applied to twelfth-century religious sects in Languedoc and Piedmont who were branded “the Pure”—a striking cousin hiding inside a modern word for emotional release. English eventually moved the word from the intestine to the imagination, so a sobbing performance, furious diary entry, or song about leaving can all be cathartic. Remember the route: first the body was cleansed, then the soul, and finally the theater became the medicine cabinet.
The Story
Picture a seventeenth-century physician reaching for a bottle meant to cleanse the body from within: that was the original neighborhood of “cathartic,” first recorded in English in the 1610s. Its Greek ancestor, katharsis, meant purging or cleansing, but Aristotle gave the idea a dramatic twist: tragedy could purge an audience’s pity and fear without anyone taking a medicinal draught. The same Greek “pure” also appears in Cathar, the name applied to twelfth-century religious sects in Languedoc and Piedmont who were branded “the Pure”—a striking cousin hiding inside a modern word for emotional release. English eventually moved the word from the intestine to the imagination, so a sobbing performance, furious diary entry, or song about leaving can all be cathartic. Remember the route: first the body was cleansed, then the soul, and finally the theater became the medicine cabinet.
Modern Usage
Providing relief through the open expression of strong feelings
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary usage describing cathartic music and emotional expression
Kin & Kindred
From 'cathar'·pure, clean; cleansing or purging
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary