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purify

[ pyoor-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈpyʊər əˌfaɪ /
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See synonyms for: purify / purified / purifying / purification on Thesaurus.com

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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Origin of purify

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English purifien, from Middle French purifier, from Latin pūrificāre; see pure, -ify

OTHER WORDS FROM purify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use purify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for purify

purify
/ (ˈpjʊərɪˌfaɪ) /

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 forms of purify

purification, 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
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