aesthetic

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Relating to beauty or the appreciation of beautiful things.

   The shabby exterior offended his aesthetic sensibilities.

2. 2
   adj

   Beautiful or pleasing to look at.

   The new lobby design is both practical and aesthetic.

3. 3
   noun

   The overall style or look that defines a set of artistic works.

   Her recent paintings have a quirky aesthetic inspired by 1990s teen culture.

4. 4
   noun

   The study of beauty and what makes things beautiful.

   The lecture explored the aesthetic of Renaissance art.

Simplified etymology

Aesthetic entered English in the mid-18th century from Greek aisthētikos, from aisthēta, meaning “material things.” It originally meant “relating to perception by the senses,” as opposed to immaterial things apprehended by thought. The sense “concerned with beauty” was coined in German in the mid-18th century and adopted into English in the early 19th century, though its use remained controversial until much later in that century.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewis-dʰh₁ Proto-Hellenic *awistʰomai Ancient Greek αἰσθᾰ́νομαι (aisthắnomai) Proto-Indo-European *-tis Ancient Greek -τις (-tis) Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Ancient Greek αἴσθησῐς (aísthēsĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós) Ancient Greek αἰσθητῐκός (aisthētĭkós)bor. Latin aesthēticusder. German Ästhetikder. ▲ New Latin aesthēticusbor. French esthétiqueder. English aesthetic From German Ästhetik or French esthétique, both from New Latin aesthēticus, itself b…

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