philistine

The term originates from the Latin Philistaeus, borrowed from Greek Philistinos, which referred to a member of the Philistines, an ancient people in conflict with the Israelites in biblical accounts. In German student slang of the 17th century, Philister was used contemptuously by university students to denote a townsman, someone not associated with the scholarly life. This usage was popularized in English by the writer Matthew Arnold in the 19th century, who explicitly contrasted "Philistines"—representing the indifferent, uncultured middle class—with the culturally enlightened. Thus, the literal meaning pertaining to an ancient ethnic group evolved through layers of figurative use into its modern abstract sense describing a person indifferent to artistic and intellectual values.

Structure: philist + ine - philist: From Latin Philistaeus, from Greek Philistinos, referring to a member of the Philistine people. - ine: A suffix of Greek/Latin origin used to form adjectives meaning "of or pertaining to," and nouns meaning "a member of."