Cathartically
/kəˈθɑːrtɪkli/noun
In a way that produces emotional release or purification.
Did you know?Its root is Greek katharsis, meaning purification or cleansing, a word tied to ritual, medicine, and the dramatic power of tragedy to purge emotion.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kath- / *katharo-
“Likely associated with being clean or pure”
Ancient Greek
Greek
katharos
“Clean, pure, free from defilement”
Ancient Greek
Greek
katharsis
“Cleansing, purification, purgation”
Late Latin
Latin
catharticus
“Purging, cleansing”
14th–16th Century
English
cathartic
“A purgative or cleansing agent; later, emotionally purifying”
Modern English
English
cathartically
“In a cathartic manner; with emotional release or purification”