Katharos
/ˈkɑː.θə.ɹɒs/noun
A Greek word meaning clean, pure, or free from pollution.
Did you know?Ancient Greek katharos was used not just for physical cleanliness, but for ritual and moral purity, which is why it became a loaded word in religion, philosophy, and later Christian vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kath-
“to make clean, purify”
Ancient Greek
Greek
καθαρός (katharós)
“clean, pure, free from stain or pollution”
Late Greek / Christian Greek
Greek
καθαρός (katharós)
“morally pure, spiritually clean, ritually purified”
Latin
Latin
catharus
“pure, clean; used in learned and ecclesiastical borrowing”
Modern English
English
catharsis
“the purging or release of strong emotions through art or experience”