Definition of CATHARSIS

catharsis

Plural: catharses

Noun

  • (psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
  • purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
  • 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).
  • Any release of emotional tension to the same effect, more widely.
  • A purification or cleansing, especially emotional.
  • A therapeutic technique to relieve tension by reestablishing the association of an emotion with the memory or idea of the event that first caused it, and then eliminating it by complete expression (called the abreaction).
  • Purging of the digestive system.

Origin / Etymology

From Ancient Greek κάθαρσις (kátharsis, “cleansing, purging”), from καθαίρω (kathaírō, “I cleanse”). Coined in the dramatic-emotional sense by Aristotle.

Scrabble Score: 14

catharsis: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
catharsis: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
catharsis: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

catharsis: valid Words With Friends Word