ascesis

American  

[uh-see-sis] / əˈsi sɪs /

Also askesis

noun

• asceses
  plural

1. strict self-discipline or self-control, as for religious or meditative purposes.

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ascesis British  

/ əˈsiːsɪs /

noun

1. the exercise of self-discipline

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• asceses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ascesis

First recorded in 1870–75; from Greek askēsis “exercise, training,” equivalent to askē- (variant stem of askeîn “to practice, train”) + -sis noun suffix; see -sis

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ascesis

Remy de Gourmont would free us from the rule of dogmatist and moralist, but he would free us from these without plunging us into a yet sterner ascesis.

From Suspended Judgments Essays on Books and Sensations by John Cowper Powys

Monophysitism adopted this tradition, and made ascesis the central duty of the Christian life.

From Monophysitism Past and Present A Study in Christology by A. A. (Arthur Aston) Luce