Aestheticisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of principles focused on the nature of beauty and artistic taste
2. Movements or expressions that emphasize beauty, style, and the appreciation of visual or sensory experiences
3. Philosophical concepts or practices that prioritize aesthetic qualities in art and life over other considerations

Etymology: "Aestheticisms" is the plural of "aestheticism," and the root of the whole family is an ancient Greek verb, "aisthanomai," meaning "to perceive" or "to notice through the senses." From it came "aisthesis," sensory perception, and the adjective "aisthetikos," relating to perception. Greek scholars passed these terms into Latin as "aestheticus," and German and French later borrowed the Latin form, which reached English as "aesthetic" in the early 19th century, as the 19th-century German philosophical term "Asthetik" spread across Europe. The "-ism" ending was added in English to "aesthetic," producing "aestheticism" as a label for a movement that prized art for its beauty above moral or practical purpose. The plural "aestheticisms" therefore names several such movements or doctrines, each built on the same idea that sensory experience is worth pursuing for its own sake.

Synonyms: aesthetic principles, artistic styles