Word Study
catharsis
CIDE DICTIONARY
catharsis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. . See Cathartic.].
- A natural or artificial purgation of any passage, as of the mouth, bowels, etc.
- The process of relieving an abnormal excitement by reëstablishing the association of the emotion with the memory or idea of the event that first caused it, and of eliminating it by complete expression (called the abreaction). [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
catharsis, n. (pl. catharses)
1 an emotional release in drama or art.
2 Psychol. the process of freeing repressed emotion by association with the cause, and elimination by abreaction.
3 Med. purgation.
1 an emotional release in drama or art.
2 Psychol. the process of freeing repressed emotion by association with the cause, and elimination by abreaction.
3 Med. purgation.
Etymology
mod.L f. Gk katharsis f. kathairo cleanse: sense 1 f. Aristotle's Poetics
THESAURUS
catharsis
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