Philistine

WOTD – 16 January 2009    

See also philistine

English

Wikipedia Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• philistine

Etymology

From Late Latin Philistinus, from Late Ancient Greek Φυλιστῖνοι (Phulistinoi), from Hebrew פְּלִשְׁתִּים (p'lishtím), from פְּלֶשֶׁת (p'léshet, “Philistia”).

The sense relating to lack of education and culture was introduced to English by Thomas Carlyle and greatly popularised by Matthew Arnold. It is derived from German student use of the term Philister to refer to the burghers of the town. This apparently derived from the use of the biblical text "the Philistines be upon you, Samson" in a memorial service for a Jena university student who died as the result of a town vs. gown dispute in 1693.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈfɪl.ɪ.staɪn/, X-SAMPA: /"fIl.I.staIn/
• (US) IPA: /ˈfɪl.ɪ.staɪn/, /ˈfɪl.ə.stin/, /fɪˈlɪ.stin/, X-SAMPA: /"fIl.I.staIn/, /"fIl.@.stin/, /fI"lI.stin/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

Philistine (plural Philistines)

1. A person from ancient Philistia.
   • 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version), Judges 16:23

     Then the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice;

2. A person who lacks appreciation of art or culture.

   It is Shakespearean, you philistine!

   • 1843 Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. 4, Abbot Hugo

     what could poor old Abbot Hugo do? A frail old man; and the Philistines were upon him, – that is to say, the Hebrews.

   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 259d.

     trying to separate everything from everything else is not just poor taste but is the mark of a total philistine and someone with no feeling for philosophy.

Related terms

• Palestine
• Philistia
• philistine

Translations

person from Philistia

• Armenian: փղշտացի (hy) (p'ġštac'i)
• Czech: Filištín (cs) m
• Danish: filister (da)
• Dutch: Filistijn (nl) m, Filistijnse (nl) f
• Faroese: filistari (fo) m
• Finnish: filistealainen (fi)
• French: Philistin (fr)
• German: Philister (de) m, Philisterin (de) f
• Hebrew: פלשתי (he) (P'lishti) m
• Hungarian: filiszteus (hu)

• Irish: Filistíneach (ga) m
• Italian: filisteo (it)
• Japanese: ペリシテ人 (ja) (ペリシテじん, perishite-jin)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: filister (nb) m

• Old Irish: filistín m
• Polish: Filistyn (pl) m
• Portuguese: filisteu (pt) m
• Russian: филистимлянин (ru) (filistíml'anin) m

person lacking appreciation of culture

• Armenian: փղշտացի (hy) (p'ġštac'i)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 俗人 (cmn) (súrén)

• Czech: barbar (cs) m, šosák (cs) m
• Danish: spidsborger (da)
• Faroese: smáborgari (fo) m
• Finnish: moukka (fi), filisteri (fi)
• French: philistin (fr) m
• German: Banause (de) m, Banausin (de) f, Kulturbanause (de) m, Kulturbanausin (de) f, Kunstbanause (de) m, Kunstbanausin (de) f, Spießbürger (de) m, Spießbürgerin (de) f, Spießer (de) m, Spießerin (de) f, (Austrian) Sumper (de) m, (Austrian) Sumperin (de) f, Barbar (de) m, Barbarin (de) f, Kunstbarbar (de) m, Kunstbarbarin (de) f, Philister (de) m, Philisterin (de) f, Prolet (de) m, Proletin (de) f, Ignorant (de) m, Ignorantin (de) f, Primitivling (de) m

• Hungarian: filiszter (hu)
• Polish: filister (pl) m
• Portuguese: filisteu (pt) m
• Russian: филистер (ru) (filíster) m, обыватель (ru) (obyvátel') m, мещанин (ru) (meščanín) m
• Swedish: bracka (sv), kälkborgare (sv)
• Volapük: (♂♀) filistan (vo), (♂) hifilistan (vo), (♀) jifilistan (vo), (collective ♂♀) filistanef (vo), (♂) hifilistanef (vo), (♀) jifilistanef (vo)

Adjective

Philistine (comparative more Philistine, superlative most Philistine)

1. Of or pertaining to the ancient Philistines.
2. Lacking appreciation of culture; also philistine.

Translations

of or pertaining to the Philistines

• Dutch: Filistijns (nl)
• Finnish: filistealainen (fi)
• Irish: Filistíneach (ga)

• Polish: filistyński (pl) m
• Russian: филистимский (ru) (filistímskij)

philistine — see philistine