catharsis
Use Catharsis in a sentence
sɪs noun, plural ca·thar·ses [kuh-thahr-seez] .
[kuh-thahr-seez] . 1.
the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.
2.
Medicine/Medical, purgation.
3.
Psychiatry.
a.
psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable affects.
b.
discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the permanent relief of the condition.
Origin:
1795–1805; < Neo-Latin < Greek kátharsis a cleansing, equivalent to kathar- (variant stem of kathaírein to cleanse, derivative of katharós pure) + -sis -sis
1795–1805; < Neo-Latin < Greek kátharsis a cleansing, equivalent to kathar- (variant stem of kathaírein to cleanse, derivative of katharós pure) + -sis -sis
Related forms
hy·per·ca·thar·sis, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To catharsis
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Catharsis
is an SAT word you need to know.
So is peripheral. Does it mean:
| concerned with relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question. |
| self-governing or independent; subject to its own laws only; not subject to control from outside |
Collins
World English Dictionary
catharsis (kəˈθɑːsɪs) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -ses | |
| 1. | (in Aristotelian literary criticism) the purging or purification of the emotions through the evocation of pity and fear, as in tragedy |
| 2. | psychoanal See also abreaction the bringing of repressed ideas or experiences into consciousness, thus relieving tensions |
| 3. | purgation, esp of the bowels |
| [C19: New Latin, from Greek katharsis, from kathairein to purge, purify] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
catharsis
1803, from Gk. katharsis "purging, cleansing," from kathairein "to purify, purge," from katharsos "pure." Originally medical; of emotions from 1872; psychotherapy sense first recorded 1909, in Brill's translation of Freud.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
catharsis ca·thar·sis (kə-thär'sĭs)
n. pl. ca·thar·ses (-sēz)
Purgation.
A psychological technique used to relieve tension and anxiety by bringing repressed feelings and fears to consciousness.
The therapeutic result of this process; abreaction.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
catharsis [(kuh-thahr-suhs)]An experience of emotional release and purification, often inspired by or through art. In psychoanalysis, catharsis is the release of tension and anxiety that results from bringing repressed feelings and memories into consciousness.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
And by not limiting us, it provides a catharsis for the moral and social burdens of everyday life.
His actions give catharsis to perennial adult frustration with teenagers.
Large segments of the news seem calculated to facilitate the catharsis of our built-up resentment.
Participants rated significance of curative factors of catharsis, cohesion, and insight in their treatment.
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