AESTHETICS
aesthetics, esthetics
(noun) (art) the branch of philosophy dealing with beauty and taste (emphasizing the evaluative criteria that are applied to art); “traditional aesthetics assumed the existence of universal and timeless criteria of artistic value”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
aesthetics (uncountable)
The study or philosophy of beauty.
Source: Wiktionary
Æs*thet"ics, Es*thet"ics (, n. Etym: [Gr. ästhetik, F. esthétique.]
Definition: The theory or philosophy of taste; the science of the beautiful
in nature and art; esp. that which treats of the expression and
embodiment of beauty by art.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition