Gymnosophists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of ancient philosophers known for their ascetic lifestyle and belief in living a life of simplicity and virtue through detachment from material possessions
2. Thinkers from ancient times who advocated for a philosophical life characterized by nudity, contemplation, and a rejection of worldly concerns for physical or material comfort
3. Philosophical practitioners who embraced an austere way of life, often promoting wisdom and self-reflection while living apart from societal norms and material distractions

Etymology: The Greek historian Strabo, writing about the Indian holy men he had heard of, described a group of naked wise men, and the Greeks gave them a name built from two ordinary words: "gumnos" meaning naked, and "sophistes" meaning a learned man or teacher. The result, "gumnosophistes," was a label for ascetics who went unclothed and renounced possessions, and it passed into Latin as "gymnosophista" before reaching English through French. The compound is transparent once its parts are known. "Sophist" once carried no sense of trickery; that negative connotation developed later in Greek, when professional teachers of rhetoric were criticised for charging fees and winning arguments by clever means rather than truth. The "gymno-" element, meanwhile, survives in English words like "gymnasium," originally a place where Greek youths trained naked.

Synonyms: philosophers