esthetischer

Esthetischer is the inflected form of the German adjective ästhetisch, meaning "aesthetic" or "pertaining to aesthetics." The base form is ästhetisch; esthetischer is the masculine nominative singular form and appears in other declined forms as well (for example, einen ästhetischen Stil, eines ästhetischen Stils, einem ästhetischen Stil). The form without the umlaut, esthetischer, is typically found only in contexts where the umlaut cannot be written; the standard spelling uses ä. Feminine and neuter forms are ästhetische and ästhetisches, and the plural follows the same declension pattern as other adjectives (ästhetische Stile, ästhetische Konzepte).

Etymology and related terms: The word derives from Greek aisthētikós, meaning "perceptible by the senses," via Latin aestheticus and French esthétique; the English cognate is aesthetic. In German, the field or discipline of the study of beauty and taste is Ästhetik (aesthetics).

Usage and nuance: In art, design, architecture, and cultural criticism, ästhetisch describes objects, environments, or practices intended to appeal to sense, harmony, or perceptual experience. The form esthetischer appears when used attributively before masculine nouns in sentences such as "ein ästhetischer Stil." As a rule, the word is an adjective; the corresponding noun for a person who cultivates or values beauty is der Ästhet (aesthete).

See also: Ästhetik.