Philosophy & ThoughtGreek → English
Asceticism
/əˈsɛtɪsɪzəm/noun
Severe self-discipline and abstention from comfort, usually for religious reasons.
The Greek roots
ἀσκητής
askētḗs
one who trains
ἀσκεῖν
askeîn
to exercise, practise
Literally: “the condition of one in training”
The story of the word
An ἀσκητής was an athlete in training, and ἀσκεῖν meant to work raw material or drill the body. Early Christian writers lifted the whole gymnasium vocabulary and turned it on the soul, so the desert monks were athletes of God running a race. The modern sense keeps the discipline and forgets the stadium.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 18th century
Same family
asceticaskesis
In a sentence
His asceticism went as far as sleeping on the floor and eating one meal a day.