counterculture
UK[ˈkaʊntəˌkʌltʃə]US[ˈkaʊntərˌkʌltʃər]
n
A way of life and set of ideas that are deliberately different from and opposed to the accepted social norms and values of mainstream society.
Morpheme Breakdown
counter
culture
counter
against
culture
way of life
Etymology
The term is a modern compound, formed in English during the mid-20th century by directly combining the prefix 'counter-' with the noun 'culture'. The prefix 'counter-' derives from the Latin preposition contra, meaning "against," which entered English through Anglo-French. The word 'culture' has a more complex journey, originating from the Latin colere (to till, cultivate), which evolved into cultura, referring to agricultural cultivation, and later metaphorically to the cultivation of the mind and social refinement. The compound 'counterculture' thus logically constructs its meaning as a cultural formation positioned in deliberate opposition to the dominant or mainstream culture, perfectly capturing the ethos of social movements like that of the 1960s.
Analysis
Structure: counter (against) + culture (way of life)
- counter: From Latin contra (against, opposite). A prefix indicating opposition or contrast.
- culture: From Latin cultura (cultivation, tending), via French. In this compound, it refers to the customs, arts, and institutions of a particular society or group.
Examples
The hippie movement of the 1960s is often cited as a classic example of a counterculture.
His novels explore the tension between the establishment and a radical counterculture.
Punk rock music was a powerful voice for a disaffected youth counterculture.