Exegesis
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text. countable, uncountable
"Accordingly Athanasius complains loudly of their exegesis (Ep. Æg. 3–4, cf. Orat. i. 8, 52), and insists (id. i. 54, cf. already de Decr. 14) on the primary necessity of always conscientiously studying the circumstances of time and place, the person addressed, the subject matter, and purpose of the writer, in order not to miss the true sense."
- 2 an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible) wordnet
- 3 An explanatory note; a gloss. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Accordingly Athanasius complains loudly of their exegesis (Ep. Æg. 3–4, cf. Orat. i. 8, 52), and insists (id. i. 54, cf. already de Decr. 14) on the primary necessity of always conscientiously studying the circumstances of time and place, the person addressed, the subject matter, and purpose of the writer, in order not to miss the true sense."
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξήγησις (exḗgēsis, “interpretation”), from ἐξηγέομαι (exēgéomai, “I explain, interpret”), from ἐξ (ex, “out”) + ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “I lead, guide”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.