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Medicine Purgation, especially for the digestive system.
(noun)
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A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear, described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama on its audience.
(noun)
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A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.
(noun)
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Psychology A technique used to relieve tension and anxiety by bringing repressed feelings and fears to consciousness.
(noun)
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Psychology The therapeutic result of this process; abreaction.
(noun)
American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.