Word of the Day - 12/23/25
gestalt
/ɡə'ʃtɑlt/(n.): a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts
The orchestra's performance created a powerful gestalt, where the individual instruments' sounds merged into a unified and transcendent experience.
Word Origin
The word 'gestalt' originates from German. It comes from the Middle High German 'gestalt' meaning 'form' or 'figure', which itself derives from Old High German 'gistalt'. The word can be broken down into the prefix 'ge-', often indicating completeness or collection, and 'stalt', which is related to the verb 'stellen', meaning 'to set' or 'to place'. In psychology, 'gestalt' refers to a unified whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts.
Words like 'stall' (a place for standing or housing) and 'stalwart' (strong, resolute, from a sense of being firmly placed) share a common Proto-Germanic root with 'gestalt'.