exorcise

or ex·or·cize

[ ek-sawr-sahyz, -ser- ]

/ ˈɛk sɔrˌsaɪz, -sər- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exorcise ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ex·or·cised, ex·or·cis·ing.

to seek to expel (an evil spirit) by adjuration or religious or solemn ceremonies: to exorcise a demon.

to free (a person, place, etc.) of evil spirits or malignant influences.

RELATED WORDS

purge, dismiss, purify, remove, expel

Nearby words

Origin of exorcise

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin exorcizāre < Greek exorkízein, equivalent to ex- ex-³ + (h)orkízein to cause (someone) to swear an oath

Related formsex·or·cise·ment, nounex·or·cis·er, nounun·ex·or·cised, adjective

Can be confusedexercise exorcise (see synonym study at exercise)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exorcise

In the God-fearing, heavily Baptist town of West Memphis, devil worshiping became a scourge to exorcise.
‘Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory’: Its Road to the Academy Awards|Lorenza Muñoz|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Does it merely take a united family leveling threats all at once to exorcise some of the demonic powers of addiction?
The Rehab Show That Works|Natasha Vargas-Cooper|July 21, 2010|DAILY BEAST
He's certainly done a lot to exorcise the whole Reagan era, and this is him at his best.
Grade: Incomplete|Sean Wilentz|April 28, 2009|DAILY BEAST
If you cannot exorcise the demon of prejudice, you can chain him down to law and reason.
The Life of John Marshall Volume 3 of 4|Albert J. Beveridge

Several uncomfortable demons have taken possession of it and Jill isn't able to exorcise them.
The House that Jill Built|E. C. Gardner
It was plain, said the butchers, that the clergy were of no use; they could not exorcise demons!
The Princess and Curdie|George MacDonald
She had already been to a clergyman who should exorcise the devil, and who had judiciously directed her to me.
Religion & Sex|Chapman Cohen
Indeed, its visits became so frequent, that a clergyman of eminence was employed to exorcise it.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish border (3rd ed) (1 of 3)|Walter Scott

Word Origin and History for exorcise

exorcise

c.1400, "to invoke spirits," from Old French exorciser (14c.), from Late Latin exorcizare, from Greek exorkizein "banish an evil spirit; bind by oath" (see exorcism).

Sense of "calling up evil spirits to drive them out" became dominant 16c. A rare case where -ise trumps -ize on both sides of the Atlantic, perhaps by influence of exercise. Related: Exorcised; exorcising.