purification

[ pyoor-uh-fi-key-shuhn ]

noun

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.

Other Words From

• non·pu·ri·fi·ca·tion noun
• re·pu·ri·fi·ca·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of purification¹

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

Example Sentences

I’ve used it to purify hundreds of gallons of water, and it’s ideal for group pursuits in the backcountry or in emergency scenarios.

From Outside Online

When the water was purified, the leftover solids contained a high concentration of microscopic aluminum particles, a valuable commodity which can be sold to offset the cost of decontamination.

From Nautilus

We can’t ventilate and air-purify our way out of the need to wear masks, reduce occupancy in indoor spaces, and physically distance.

From Vox

Then the recyclable material—a mixture of uranium and plutonium—gets separated from other fission products in the spent fuel and purified.

From MIT Technology Review

It boasts three-speed settings and a three-step filtration process that can purify the air five times per hour.

From Popular-Science

The entire grim experience, he claims, was a source of “purification.”

From The Daily Beast

This has some associations with the theory of catharsis, a view that is linked to purification and cleansing.

From The Daily Beast

My only real expenses have been things like first-aid kits, water-purification tablets, batteries, walkie talkies and the like.

From The Daily Beast

Why do Republicans continue to value “purification” and bloodletting over winning elections?

From The Daily Beast

But your ideological purification drive will spell doom soon.

From The Daily Beast

As we are then about to celebrate the purification, we have written unto you: and you shall do well, if you keep the same days.

From Project Gutenberg

Various proposals had been made at different times for the reduction or purification of the pension list.

From Project Gutenberg

The water of purification was then thrice sprinkled over those present, and all except the immediate family left the place.

From Project Gutenberg

There is a savage ritual of purification from blood shed by a homicide (compare Eumenides, line 273).

From Project Gutenberg

After a careful purification it is made into the white cakes called alfajores, or prepared as white sugar.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• distillation