What does asceticism mean?
Word: Asceticism
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Asceticism means a way of living that avoids comfort and pleasure, often with very simple food and few belongings, usually for religious reasons.
Synonyms: austerity, self-denial, self-discipline
Antonyms: indulgence, luxury
Word origin: From Greek, through Latin; the Greek word later came to mean strict religious self-discipline.
How do you spell asceticism?
Syllables: as - cet - i - cism
Tricky part: The sc after the first a is the main trap: the c is silent, so students write asseticism or aceticism.
Watch out for: asseticism, aceticism, assceticism
Memory tip: Keep the sc together, as in ascend: picture a hermit climbing above everyday comforts (the two words are not related, but the picture fixes the sc).
Asceticism in a sentence
Example 1: The old hermit's asceticism was clear from his tiny hut, which held nothing but a water pot.
Example 2: During exam month, Jack joked that he was living a life of asceticism: no cartoons, no sweets and early nights.
Example 3: The writer Henry David Thoreau tried a kind of asceticism, living for two years in a small cabin by a pond.
Fun Fact
The ancient Greek thinker Diogenes was famous for his asceticism: he is said to have slept in a large clay jar and owned almost nothing.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
a, e, i, i
a) __pt__m__sm
b) r__al__sm
c) __sc__t__c__sm
d) cr__t__c__sm
Show answer
c) __sc__t__c__sm. Filling a, e, i and i gives asceticism; criticism needs i, i, i and optimism starts with o.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. asceticism 2. patriotism 3. heroism a. a life of hardship chosen on purpose b. great courage c. love of your country
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Giving up comforts is asceticism, love of country is patriotism, and great courage is heroism.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Gandhi's asceticism showed in his simple clothes, his plain food and his habit of spining his own cloth.
a) only asceticism
b) asceticism and spining
c) simple and clothes
d) only spining
Show answer
d) only spining. Spinning doubles its n before -ing; asceticism is correct here.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Asceticism goes back to a Greek word that was once used for the training of ___.
a) farmers
b) athletes
c) sailors
d) doctors
Show answer
b) athletes. The Greek word was used for exercise or training of the kind athletes do; only later did it mean self-discipline for religious reasons.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A life of asceticism would include ___.
a) a bare room and one plain meal a day
b) a new car every year
c) a big party every week
d) a collection of gold watches
Show answer
a) a bare room and one plain meal a day
2. Asceticism is most often linked with ___.
a) bankers and traders
b) hermits and philosophers
c) actors and singers
d) chefs and bakers
Show answer
b) hermits and philosophers
