purification

American  

[pyoor-uh-fi-kay-shuhn] / pjʊər ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• purifications
  plural

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpurification
  noun
• repurification
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• purifications
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of purification

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

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Explanation

Purification is the removal of impure elements from something. After purification, water is safe to drink. Most cities have a system of water purification, so people get clean fresh drinking water without any parasites or goldfish in it. Purification is when things are cleaned and made pure. Salt water must undergo purification before it's safe to drink. Some filters do a purification of the air to reduce allergens. In some religions, purification is the removal of sin, which is another type of cleansing. For example, sumo wrestlers throw salt in the ring for purification, as part of the tradition of the Shinto religion.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purification purifications

“Most people are looking for freeze-dried food and wind-up radios from us, but also a lot of water purification tablets, water filters and the like.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

That outbreak, in Hammanskraal, was linked to substandard water purification practices.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

UV light is used for air purification, curing resins in 3D printing, hardening gels in dental fillings, and even applications such as nail treatments.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

I’m scheduled to tour purification facilities, pipelines and compression stations that process the methane and transport it to markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Ever since chemists began to manufacture substances that nature never invented, the problems of water purification have become complex and the danger to users of water has increased.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

One is an assay that would bypass laborious cell purifications and manipulations by detecting activated T cells in blood samples squirted into tubes premixed with bits of SARS-CoV-2 proteins.

From Scientific American ● May 19, 2022

He pacified his conscience by promising himself a compensatingly harder self-discipline, purifications the more complete and thorough.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

He dreams of imaginary faults, imaginary purifications, and clears out his conscience with the old witches' broom.

From Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo

“Purifications” teaches how purifications are to be effected.

From Hebrew Literature by Epiphanius Wilson

Moses came with various laws relating to washings and purifications, but they were only cleansings of the body or of the flesh and had daily to be repeated.

From Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost by John Nicholas Lenker

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