exegesis en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ɛksɪˈdʒiːsɪs/ (UK)
- (General-American) audio
- ĕkˌ-sĭ-jēˈ -sĭs
- /ɛksɪˈd͡ʒisɪs/ (US)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξήγησις (exḗgēsis, “interpretation”), from ἐξηγέομαι (exēgéomai, “to explain, interpret”), from ἐξ (ex, “out”) + ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to lead, guide”).
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially a religious text.
Influencers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and streaming sites […] dispense warnings about bops (those with many sexual partners), exegesis on the importance of body count (the number of people someone has slept with) and the dangers of simping (being excessively attentive or submissive to an uninterested love object), constructing entirely new categories by which to sort and judge potential mates.
2026 March 3, Christine Emba, “The Reason Gen Z Isn’t Dating”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:It is a fitting device for an artist who has long seen herself as the creator of a parallel world: one where fans can go “down a rabbit hole,” as she has put it, hunting for clues to the star’s next move and subjecting her every word to endless exegesis.
2025 October 16, Mitch Therieau, “Taylor Swift Is Our Biggest Cinematic Universe. But the Magic Is Fading.”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:As with Deism and Materialism, the German Rationalism invaded the department of Biblical exegesis.
1913, Francis Aveling, “Rationalism”, in Catholic Encyclopedia (1913):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.
1885, Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (original translators and editors), Arthur Cleveland Coxe (editor of American edition), Philip Schaff (also credited as editor), Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II:Historical scholarship bears exclusively on interpretive reading; when it is properly subordinated as a means, its end is exegesis; all of its techniques are of service to the grammatical art. But exegesis is not the end; nor is grammar the highest art. Exegesis is for the sake of a fair critical judgment, grammar for the sake of logic and rhetoric.
1940, Mortimer J. Adler, Two Essays on Docility:
- (countable, uncountable) An explanatory note; a gloss.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| exegeses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
exegetics · textual criticism · exegetist · epexegesis · exegete · eisegesis · hermeneutics · exegetic · exegetical
Translations (59)
nl uitlegging (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · az təfsir (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · cmn 注釋 /注释 (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ru экзеге́за (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ja 釈義 (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · he מִדְרָשׁ (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · cmn 評註 /评注 (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · bg тълкувание (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · my မြန်မာ (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ja 訓詁 (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · fi eksegeesi (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · hu exegézis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · hi व्याख्या (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · sh egzegeza (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · co esegesa (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · it chiarificazione (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ms tafsir (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · it esegesi (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · es exegesis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ia exegese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · hu szövegmagyarázat (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · tr tefsir (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · id eksegesis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · gl exexese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · an exechesi (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ur تفسیر (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · an esechesis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · nl exegese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · de Exegese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · gl esexese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · eo ekzegezo (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · pl egzegeza (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · la exēgēsis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · pt exegese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ml ഭാഷ്യം (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · grc ἐξήγησις (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ca exegesi (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · cmn 詮釋 /诠释 (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · fa تفسیر (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · lv ekseģēze (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · es exégesis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · id tafsir (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · da eksegese (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ar تَفْسِير (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · el εξήγηση (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · it spiegazione (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ro exegeză (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · oc exegèsi (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · it chiarimento (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ja 釈義学 (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · an exechesis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ast exéxesis (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · fa تأویل (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · sv exeges (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · th นัยวิเคราะห์ (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · it esplicazione (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · io exegezo (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · fr exégèse (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text) · ml വ്യാഖ്യാനം (interpretation of a text, especially a religious text)