philistine means originating from ancient Philistia; of or pertaining to the ancient Philistines.
philistine is pronounced /ˈfɪlɪstaɪn/.
Why “philistine” is a great word
A person hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, whose world is bounded by material and utilitarian concerns. From Middle English Philistyne, from Old English Filistina, from Late Latin Philistinus, from Koine Greek Φυλιστῖνοι (Phulistînoi), from Hebrew פְּלִשְׁתִּים (p'lishtím, "Philistines"). The modern derogatory sense arose in 17th-century German student slang (Philister, "non-student, townsperson") and was popularized in English by Matthew Arnold in the 19th century. Unlike an 'aesthetic,' who cultivates beauty, or a 'plebeian,' who may merely lack refinement, a philistine actively resists the claims of art and intellect. It is the scoff at a difficult poem, the preference for hotel art over a gallery's unsettling vision, and the conviction that a symphony's only purpose is to serve as background noise—a life lived within walls of its own deliberate making, proud of the silence inside.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English Philistyne, Philisten [and other forms], from Old English Filistina (genitive plural), from Old French Philistin (modern French Philistin) and Late Latin Philistinus, from Koine Greek Φυλιστῖνοι (Phulistînoi), a variant of Φυλιστιίμ (Phulistiím), Φυλιστιείμ (Phulistieím) (compare Koine Greek Παλαιστῖνοι (Palaistînoi)), from Hebrew פְּלִשְׁתִּים (p'lishtím, plural noun), from פְּלִשְׁתִּי (p'lishtí, “Philistine”, adjective), from פְּלֶשֶׁת (p'léshet, “Philistia”). An Anatolian origin should be considered, compare Hittite 𒁄𒄭𒅖 (pal-ḫi-iš /palḫis/, “wide, broad”), nominalized as lowland, plain + 𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣 (ša-a-ki-ez-zi /šākizzi/, “seeks out”), nominalized as explorer, colonist, which would yield something like palḫis-sak or palḫis-sku.
In light
adj
- Originating from ancient Philistia; of or pertaining to the ancient Philistines.
- Ignorant or uneducated; specifically, lacking appreciation for or antagonistic towards art or culture, and having pedestrian tastes.e.g.“[Robert] Walpole, moreover, left England not only more corrupt than he found it, but crasser and more Philistine.”
noun
- A non-Semitic person from ancient Philistia, a region in the southwest Levant in the Middle East.
- An opponent (of the speaker, writer, etc); an enemy, a foe.e.g.“In very truth what could poor old Abbot Hugo do? A frail old man; and the Philistines were upon him,—that is to say, the Hebrews.”
- In German universities: a person not associated with the university; a non-academic or non-student; a townsperson.
- A person who is ignorant or uneducated; specifically, a person who lacks appreciation of or is antagonistic towards art or culture, and who has pedestrian tastes.
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