From Greek 'kathartikos' (fit for cleansing), cathartic entered English as a medical purgative term before absorbing Aristotle's psychological meaning of emotional purging.
Providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions; also, relating to purgation of the body.
From Greek 'kathartikos' (fit for cleansing), derived from 'kathairein' (to cleanse, to purge), itself from 'katharos' (pure, clean). The word entered English through Late Latin 'catharticus' in the early 1600s, initially as a medical term for purgative medicines. Its psychological meaning traces directly to Aristotle's concept of 'katharsis' in the Poetics (c. 335 BCE), where he argued that tragedy