objurgate

[ob-jer-geyt, uh b-jur-geyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR objurgate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ob·jur·gat·ed, ob·jur·gat·ing.

to reproach or denounce vehemently; upbraid harshly; berate sharply.

Nearby words

Origin of objurgate

1610–20; < Latin objūrgātus, past participle of objūrgāre to rebuke, equivalent to ob- ob- + jūrgāre, jurigāre to rebuke, equivalent to jūr- (stem of jūs) law + -ig-, combining form of agere to drive, do + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsob·jur·ga·tion, nounob·jur·ga·tor, nounob·jur·ga·to·ri·ly

[uh b-jur-guh-tawr-uh-lee, -tohr-] /əbˈdʒɜr gəˌtɔr ə li, -ˌtoʊr-/, ob·jur·ga·tive·ly, adverbob·jur·ga·to·ry, ob·jur·ga·tive, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for objurgate

If you step on one after nightfall, it will be useless to objurgate.
A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed.|William Chauncey Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for objurgate

objurgate

verb

(tr) to scold or reprimand

Derived Formsobjurgation, nounobjurgator, nounobjurgatory (ɒbˈdʒɜːɡətərɪ, -trɪ) or objurgative, adjective

Word Origin for objurgate

C17: from Latin objurgāre, from ob- against + jurgāre to scold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for objurgate

objurgate

1610s, from Latin obiurgatus, past participle of obiurgare "to chide, rebuke," from ob- (see ob-) + iurgare "to quarrel, scold," from phrase iure agere "to deal in a lawsuit," from ablative of ius "right; law; suit" (see just (adj.)) + agere "to do, act, set in motion" (see act (n.)). Related: Objurgatory.