Comprehensive
Dictionary Suite
Help
Help
Help
Advanced Dictionary      
Lookup History
expurgate

ex·pur·gate

expurgate

 
 
pronunciation:
ek spr geIt
features:
Word Parts
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: expurgates, expurgating, expurgated
definition: to purge (a book or the like) of material considered to be offensive or erroneous prior to publication.
Earlier publications of the book were expurgated to eliminate sexual references.
synonyms:
bowdlerize, purge
similar words:
censor, cleanse, purify, refine, sanitize
derivations: expurgatorial (adj.), expurgatory (adj.), expurgation (n.), expurgator (n.)
Word Parts  About this feature
The word expurgate contains the following parts:
ex- Latin prefix that means out, out of, away from
Show wordsHide wordsMore about this word part:
The prefix ex- was a Latin preposition and prefix and occurs in English in Latin loanwords, such as exit and expel . It has multiple forms, as the 'x' sound in ex- assimilates to the initial sound of the base to which it is attached. See its assimilated forms e-, ef-, and es-. ex- is also used in the formation of English words such as "ex-partner," where it means "formerly having the status of."
synonyms:
extr-, extra-, exter-
 
purg Latin root that means clean
Show wordsHide wordsExample words:
-ate1 Latin verb-forming suffix that means to make, cause, do
Show wordsHide wordsMore about this word part:
The suffix -ate primarily forms transitive verbs from Latin bases. Many -ate verbs were loanwords from Latin. Verbs ending in -ate combine with the suffix -ion to form nouns ending in -ation. These verbs also have corresponding agent nouns ending in -ator (navigator, dictator, elevator).