κάθαρσις
katharsis
cleansing
Appears 60 times across Aristotle's works.
Frequency by work
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Dictionary (LSJ)
κάθαρσις, εως, ἡ, Elean κόθαρσις Schwyzer 412, A. cleansing from guilt or defilement, purification, 1.35, Cra. 405a, etc.; κάθαρσις . . τὸ χωρίζειν ὅτι μάλιστα ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχήν Phd. 67c, cf. Sph. 227c (pl.); cleansing of the universe by fire, Zeno and 2.184; cleansing of food by or before cooking, 138. 2. clarification, φυσικῶν προβλημάτων Ep. 2p.36U.; καθάρσεως δεῖται needs explanation, Lib.p.22O. II. Medic., clearing off of morbid humours, etc., evacuation, whether natural or by the use of medicines (cf. 17(2).358), Aph. 5.36, cf. Acut. (Sp.) 31, etc.; ἰατρικὴ κ. Lg. 628d; καθάρσεις, the menses in women, Aph. 5.60; καθάρσεις καταμηνίων HA 572b29; so κάθαρσις alone, GA 775b5; κ. μετὰ τόκον Aër. 7; ἡ ἐν τοῖς τόκοις κ. HA 574b4; κ. αἵματος αὐτομάτη μοι . . συνέβη 54.12. b. τραγῳδία . . διʼ ἐλέου καὶ φόβου περαίνουσα τὴν τῶν τοιούτων παθημάτων κ. Po. 1449b28, cf. Pol. 1341b38. III. pruning of trees, CP 3.7.12. IV. winnowing of grain, in pl., PTeb. 92.10 (ii B.C.); κ. πυροῦ PRyl. 71.9 (i B.C.); τοῦ καρποῦ 2.57 (sg.). V. clearing of land, PSI 6.577.13 (iii B.C.), PPetr. 3p.122 (iii B.C.), etc.
Key passages & sense analysis (Bonitz)
Index Aristotelicus. Hermann Bonitz's sense-by-sense analysis of
κάθαρσις — with the passages
he singles out as decisive for each meaning — will appear here. That curated,
interpretive selection is the layer LSJ and a raw concordance don't provide.
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