exegesis
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of exegesis
1610–20; < Greek exḗgēsis an interpretation, explanation, equivalent to ex- ex- 3 + ( h ) ēgē- (verbid stem of hēgeîsthai to guide) + -sis -sis
Compare meaning
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Explanation
If your teacher gives an explanation of a difficult text you are reading, she is giving you an exegesis on it. An exegesis is a critical look at a text. Exegesis comes from the Greek word for interpret and it's often used in connection with the Bible. Often times, religious rules are based on an exegesis of a text. For instance, some Jewish people do not eat meat and dairy in the same meal based on an exegesis of a law in the Torah that says you should not eat a calf cooked in its mother's milk.
Vocabulary lists containing exegesis
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The Secret History
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In all this exegesis, there are at least four myths and one important truth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
First came Joel Thompson’s “To See the Sky,” obscurely subtitled “an exegesis for orchestra.”
From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2024
Because he decided he wasn’t obligated to, based on his own personal exegesis of whatever rules he chose to consider that one day.
From Slate • May 3, 2023
Patristic exegesis comprises all the more or less allegorical methods by which St. Augustine and other church fathers interpreted the Bible.
From Washington Post • Aug. 24, 2021
I provided an exegesis, not as brief as it might have been, of why at the moment I found the college satisfactory for my purposes.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
