aesthete etymology

Etymology:

  • Ancient Greek: αἰσθητήρ (aisthētḗr) "perceiver," from αἰσθάνομαι (aisthanomai) "to perceive"

Meaning:

  • A person who has or claims to have a refined or delicate taste in art, literature, or other matters of culture.

Origin:

The word "aesthete" was first used in English in the 17th century, but it gained wider currency in the 19th century as a result of the Aesthetic Movement. This movement, which flourished in Europe and the United States from the 1860s to the 1890s, emphasized the importance of beauty and sensory experience over moral or didactic concerns.

Aesthetes were often seen as decadent and effete, but they also played an important role in the development of modern art and literature. For example, the poet and critic Walter Pater, who was one of the leading figures of the Aesthetic Movement, argued that "art should be independent of morality."

The term "aesthete" is still used today to describe someone who is particularly sensitive to or appreciative of beauty and culture. However, it can also be used in a more pejorative sense, to refer to someone who is excessively concerned with appearances or who lacks substance.

aesthete relate terms

  • esthete

  • aesthete

    Etymology Ancient Greek αἰσθητήρ aisthētḗr perceiver from αἰσθά

  • aesthete

    Etymology Ancient Greek αἰσθητήρ aisthētḗr perceiver from αἰσθά

  • aesthetic

    Etymology Aesthetic derives from the Greek word aisthētikos which means pertaining

  • anesthesia

    Etymology The word anesthesia is derived from the Greek words an α̉ν meani

  • audible

    Etymology Middle English audible from Latin audibilis meaning capable of being hea

  • audience

    Etymology Latin audientia an audience hearing Break Down aud from Latin audi

  • audio

    Etymology The word audio is derived from the Latin word audire which means to hear

  • audit

    Etymology The word audit is derived from the Latin word audire which means to hear

  • audition

    Etymology The word audition comes from the Latin word audire which means to hear

  • auditor

    Etymology The word auditor originates from the Latin word audītor meaning listener

  • auditorium

    Etymology Latin auditorium Meaning listening place Origin The Latin word au

  • auditory

    Etymology The word auditory comes from the Latin word audire which means to hear

  • hyperaesthesia

    Etymology Greek hyper over above aesthesis sensation perception Meaning

  • kinesthetic

    Etymology kinestho Greek pertaining to movement esthesia Greek sensatio

  • oyer

    Etymology The word oyer comes from the Old French word oïr which means to hear I

  • obedient

    Etymology of obedient The word obedient comes from the Latin word obēdiens which

  • obey

    Etymology Old French obéir Latin obedire Ob meaning towards audire meaning t

  • paraesthesia

    Etymology The word paraesthesia comes from the Greek words para beside alongside a

  • synaesthesia

    Etymology Syn from Greek σύν meaning together esthesia from Greek αἴσθ

  • sensitive

    Etymology The word sensitive comes from the Latin word sentire meaning to feel or

  • cognoscente

    Etymology The word cognoscente is derived from the Italian word cognoscente which is

  • connoisseur

    Etymology French connoisseur Latin cognoscere to know to be acquainted with

  • aesthetic

    Etymology Aesthetic derives from the Greek word aisthētikos which means pertaining

  • athlete

  • identity

    Etymology Identity derives from the Latin word identitas which in turn comes from the

  • Salem

    Etymology and Meaning The name Salem is of Hebrew origin and is derived from the word

  • mollycoddle

    Etymology Mollycoddle is ultimately derived from the Old Irish feminine name Muirgel

  • celestial

    Etymology The word celestial derives from the Latin word caelestis meaning heavenly

  • apprehensive

    Etymology Late Middle English from Latin apprehendere past participle apprehensus