catharsis
noun /kəˈθɑːsɪs/
/kəˈθɑːrsɪs/
[uncountable, countable] (plural catharses
(specialist) /kəˈθɑːsiːz/
/kəˈθɑːrsiːz/
)- the process of releasing strong feelings, for example through plays or other artistic activities, as a way of providing relief from anger, mental pain, etc.Word Originearly 19th cent. in the sense purification: from Greek katharsis, from kathairein ‘cleanse’, from katharos ‘pure’. The notion of “release” through drama derives from Aristotle's Poetics.