[ca.thar.sis] n, pl ca.thar.ses [NL, fr. Gk katharsis, fr. kathairein to cleanse, purge, fr. katharos] (ca. 1775) 1: purgation
2. a: purification or purgation of the emotions (as pity and fear) primarily through art b: a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
3: elimination of a complex by bringing it to consciousness and affording it expression