Cyrenaics
/ˌsaɪ.rəˈneɪ.ɪks/noun
The followers of the ancient Cyrenaic school of philosophy, which treated immediate pleasure as the highest good.
Did you know?The Cyrenaics argued that only one’s immediate personal sensations could be known with certainty, making subjective experience more reliable than the outside world.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Kyrene (Κυρήνη)
“Cyrene, the ancient North African city from which the school took its name”
4th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Kyrēnaïkós (Κυρηναϊκός)
“Of or belonging to Cyrene”
1st Century BCE
Latin
Cyrenaici
“The Cyrenaics, followers of the Cyrenaic philosophical school”
Late Middle English
English
Cyrenaic
“Pertaining to the philosophy associated with Cyrene”
Modern English
English
Cyrenaics
“The plural name for adherents or representatives of the Cyrenaic school”