/ ˈfɪlɪstaɪn; NAmE -stiːn/ noun
( disapproving ) a person who does not like or understand art, literature, music, etc.
► phil·is·tine adjective :
philistine attitudes
► phil·is·tin·ism / -tɪnɪzəm; NAmE / noun [ U ]:
the philistinism of the tabloid press
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WORD ORIGIN
from French Philistin , via late Latin from Greek Philistinos , from Hebrew pělištī . The current sense arose as a result of a confrontation between town and gown in Jena, Germany, in the late 17th cent.; a sermon on the conflict quoted: “the Philistines are upon you” (Judges 16), which led to an association between the townspeople and those hostile to culture.