askesis

aske·sis
A1S1K5E1S1I1S1
UK/əˈskiːsɪs/US/əˈskisɪs/US/æ-/

A form of ascesis — self-discipline, particularly as a religious observance; asceticism.

Scrabble 11

Meanings

nounaskesis (countable and uncountable, plural askeses)

plural askeses

  1. alternativecountableuncountableAlternative form of ascesis.

    The preacher's faith should be nourished by self-discipline, the true askesis. […] What we venture to recommend is that spiritual askesis—self-discipline of all the faculties—which imparts to the preacher's faith the property of being imperturbable, […]

    1853 June, “How is Pulpit Power to be Acquired?”, in Abel Stevens, editor, The National Magazine: Devoted to Literature, Art, and Religion, volume II, number 6, New York, N.Y.: Published by Carlton & Phillips, […], →OCLC, page 551
    3 more examples

    And this we do find in the Basilican, the Byzantine, and the Romanesque architectures, each more perfect than another, and each lacking in an ever diminishing degree much of the perfect holiness of the Saint of "the most high,"—they came and passed away like different periods in the askesis of a holy soul aiming after the perfection of the spiritual life, and truly therefore they are Christian.

    1845 March, “On the Nomenclature of Christian Architecture”, in The Ecclesiologist, volume I (New Series; volume IV overall), number II, Cambridge: John Thomas Walters […]; London: F[rancis] & J[ohn] Rivington […], →OCLC, page 50

    The body of this book consists of three related case studies, which take up particular problematics surrounding the hermeneutics of the transgendered agent, the askeses of organized weight-loss dieting, and attempts to represent the subjectivity of cosmetic surgery recipients.

    2007, Cressida J. Heyes, “Introduction: The Somatic Individual”, in Self-transformations: Foucault, Ethics, and Normalized Bodies (Studies in Feminist Philosophy), New York, N.Y.; Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 10

    Their different practices, or askeses, of attachment widen their conceptions of the divine, the self, and longing itself. Looking at their respective askeses, we next consider how each woman hints at the apophatic in her practices, and the tantalizing implications therein.

    2017, Holly Hillgardner, “Longing and Letting Go Together: Comparative Practices of Passionate Non-attachment”, in Longing and Letting Go: Christian and Hindu Practices of Passionate Non-attachment, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 105

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with askesis

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Cite this entry
APA

askesis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/askesis

MLA

“askesis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/askesis. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “askesis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/askesis.

Source: askesis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.