objurgate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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 -ate 1
Explanation
How dare you! To objurgate is to scold or reprimand. Don’t objurgate yourself, or beat yourself up if you didn’t know it — it’s an old word that people don’t use much anymore. To scold — or to express your disgust and condemnation of — is to objurgate, although this useful word has become quite rare. You're more likely to hear someone use words like castigate or reprimand these days. Objurgate comes directly from the Latin obiurgare, "to chide or rebuke."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If you step on one after nightfall, it will be useless to objurgate.
From A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed. by William Chauncey Bartlett
It is customary to objurgate Thackeray as too moral.
From A History of the French Novel, Vol. 2 To the Close of the 19th Century by George Saintsbury
Let his fellows grumble and objurgate, said he; they would cringe to him when he became a dragoman, with his pockets stuffed with piastres.
From A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould
He found various relishes, condiments, and preserves, and what not, all of which he tasted, some of which he enjoyed, and some of which he seemed to objurgate in choice Kickapoo.
From Stories by American Authors, Volume 3 by Various
Felipe, accompanying each outburst with a mighty swing of his whip, swore and pleaded and objurgated and threatened in turn.
From Bred of the Desert A Horse and a Romance by Marcus Horton
This was repeated to Ahchoogah, who turned and objurgated his people with every appearance of anger.
From The Woman from Outside [on Swan River] by Hulbert Footner
Occasionally he objurgated Mr. Ledbetter's clumsiness, and urged him to hurry, and several times he appealed to Mr. Ledbetter's watch for information.
From Twelve Stories and a Dream by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
They all objurgated Jimmy for his luck as he drove off.
From The Stowmarket Mystery Or, A Legacy of Hate by Louis Tracy
“Listen to reason, won’t you?” he objurgated, as, this time, the reason he referred to was the introduction of the ring clear through both nostrils, higher up, and through the central dividing wall of cartilage.
From Michael, Brother of Jerry by Jack London
The sailor-man, who had been objurgating straight ahead all this time, now weighed anchor and put the boat in towards shore.
From Punchinello, Volume 1, No. 14, July 2, 1870 by Various
Buddy drove, with Miss Montague by his side, the while Gray sat alone in the back seat of the car quietly objurgating the follies of youth and mournfully estimating his chances of surviving the night.
From Flowing Gold by Rex Ellingwood Beach
Then he relieved his feelings by objurgating the panic-stricken Somalis, whose superstitious minds interpreted the appearance of the air-borne host as a sure indication of war.
From The Wheel O' Fortune by Louis Tracy
In another case I saw a woman who rushed into the street objurgating the spirits, and in the next breath humbly supplicating them, who, she said, were vexing her child that was lying in convulsions.
From Fetichism in West Africa Forty Years' Observations of Native Customs and Superstitions by Robert Hamill Nassau
On all sides zealotry raises and shakes a protesting hand; on all sides it shrieks, objurgating, threatening.
From The Book of Khalid by Ameen Fares Rihani
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