# catharsis

Pronunciation: US say "kuh-THAR-sis" /kəˈθɑɹˌsɪs/; UK say "kuh-THAH-sis" /kəˈθɑːsɪs/

## Noun

1. The release of strong or pent-up emotions, from a tragedy, art, or any experience, that leaves a person feeling relieved and cleansed.
   - Simple: A release of strong feelings, from a play, film, or any experience, that leaves you feeling better.
   - _Writing the angry letter and then burning it provided more catharsis than any conversation could have._
   - _For many marchers, chanting in the street was pure catharsis after months of quiet anger._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A therapeutic technique that relieves tension by reconnecting an emotion with the memory or idea of the event that first caused it, then eliminating it through full expression of the emotion, a step called abreaction.
- (noun) Purging of the bowels, usually brought on by a laxative or other medicine.

## Origin

Aristotle coined the dramatic, emotional sense. The word itself is Ancient Greek κάθαρσις (kátharsis, "cleansing, purging"), formed from καθαίρω (kathaírō, "I cleanse").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/catharsis (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).