Esthetics
/ɛsˈθɛtɪks/noun
The branch of philosophy concerned with beauty, art, and sensory judgment.
Did you know?The modern philosophical sense was coined in the 18th century by German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten, who treated sensory perception as its own form of knowledge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European (proposed)
PIE
*awis-dh-
“A reconstructed root associated with perceiving or apprehending; its exact form and analysis remain debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
aisthanomai (αἰσθάνομαι)
“To perceive, notice, or apprehend through the senses or mind.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
aisthēsis (αἴσθησις)
“Sense perception, sensation, or understanding.”
18th Century
German
Ästhetik
“The philosophical study of sensory perception, beauty, and art; a term popularized by Alexander Baumgarten.”
18th Century–Modern English
English
esthetics
“The American-English spelling of aesthetics, referring to the philosophy or qualities of beauty and artistic experience.”
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