philistine
noun/ˈfɪlɪstaɪn/
/ˈfɪlɪstiːn/
(disapproving)- a person who does not like or understand art, literature, music, etc.
- In artistic matters he’s a complete philistine.
- She dismissed critics of her work as philistines.
Word Originfrom French Philistin, via late Latin from Greek Philistinos, from Hebrew pělištī. The current sense arose as a result of a confrontation between town and gown in Jena, Germany, in the late 17th cent.; a sermon on the conflict quoted from the Bible: “the Philistines are upon you” (Judges 16), which led to an association between the townspeople and those hostile to culture.Definitions on the go
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