purification

American  

[pyoor-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / pjʊər ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• purifications
  plural

1. the act or process of making something pure and free of any contaminating, debasing, or foreign elements.

   We fund groundbreaking development projects like water purification and clean cookstove technology.

2. the act of making something free of guilt or evil.

   Purification of the soul brings freedom from hatred, selfishness, and greed.

3. the act or process of making something clean and fit for ceremonial or ritual use.

   At this early Shinto temple, the ceremonies consisted chiefly of ritual cleansings and purifications.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpurification
  noun
• repurification
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• purifications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of purification

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin pūrificātiōn-, stem of pūrificātiō “ritual cleansing”; see purify ( def. ), -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Purification is the removal of impure elements from something. After purification, water is safe to drink. Most cities have a system of water purification, so people get clean fresh drinking water without any parasites or goldfish in it. Purification is when things are cleaned and made pure. Salt water must undergo purification before it's safe to drink. Some filters do a purification of the air to reduce allergens. In some religions, purification is the removal of sin, which is another type of cleansing. For example, sumo wrestlers throw salt in the ring for purification, as part of the tradition of the Shinto religion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purification purifications

Chambers said he worked with volunteers to distribute sleeping bags, water purification tools, food and essentials to communities cut off by collapsed bridges, travelling to the area by helicopter.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

He has spent nearly two decades studying amyloid fibrils and has previously used them to develop biodegradable plastic alternatives and water purification technologies.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

I’m scheduled to tour purification facilities, pipelines and compression stations that process the methane and transport it to markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

She noted that over 90% of homes lack such purification systems.

From Barron's ● Apr. 16, 2026

He tries to pick up his speech by moving on to the bombing of a water purification plant, when a clip of Finnick talking about Rue replaces him.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

One is an assay that would bypass laborious cell purifications and manipulations by detecting activated T cells in blood samples squirted into tubes premixed with bits of SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

From Scientific American ● May 19, 2022

He pacified his conscience by promising himself a compensatingly harder self-discipline, purifications the more complete and thorough.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

There were baths and purifications; the worshippers wore linen garments and slept alone.

From The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire by T. R. (Terrot Reaveley) Glover

According to Paul, these were formal and temporal purifications, as I stated above.

From Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost by John Nicholas Lenker

“For one purification it is allowed, for two purifications, it is disallowed.”

From Hebrew Literature by Epiphanius Wilson

Related Words

• distillation