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definitions

purify

[pyoo r-uh-fahy]
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verb (used with object), pu·ri·fied, pu·ri·fy·ing.

to make pure; free from anything that debases, pollutes, adulterates, or contaminates: to purify metals.
to free from foreign, extraneous, or objectionable elements: to purify a language.
to free from guilt or evil.
to clear or purge (usually followed by of or from).
to make clean for ceremonial or ritual use.

verb (used without object), pu·ri·fied, pu·ri·fy·ing.

to become pure.

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RELATED WORDS

distillation, regeneration, purgation, absolution, atonement, forgiveness, grace, rebirth, washing, redemption, refinement, ablution, purge, catharsis, baptism, salvation, bathing, rarefaction, sanctification, expurgation

Nearby words

  1. purificator,
  2. purificatory,
  3. purified protein derivative of tuberculin,
  4. purifier,
  5. puriform,
  6. purim,
  7. purine,
  8. puriri,
  9. purism,
  10. purist

Origin of purify

1250–1300; Middle English purifien < Middle French purifier < Latin pūrificāre. See pure, -ify
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for purification

British Dictionary definitions for purification

purify

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

to free (something) of extraneous, contaminating, or debasing matter
(tr) to free (a person, etc) from sin or guilt
(tr) to make clean, as in a ritual, esp the churching of women after childbirth
Derived Formspurification, nounpurificatory (ˈpjʊərɪfɪˌkeɪtərɪ), adjective

Word Origin for purify

C14: from Old French purifier, from Late Latin pūrificāre to cleanse, from pūrus pure + facere to make
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 purification
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper