purify
/ˈpjʊəɹɪfaɪ/ verb
Forms purifies purifying purified
- verb (transitive) To cleanse, or rid of impurities.
- verb (transitive) To free from guilt or sin.
- verb (intransitive) To become pure.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English purifien, purifyen, from Old French purifier, purifiier, from Latin pūrificō, pūrificāre, from pūrus (“pure; clean”).
Webster’s 1913
- To make pure or clear from material defilement, admixture, or imperfection; to free from extraneous or noxious matter; as, to purify liquors or metals; to purify the blood; to purify the air.
- Hence, in figurative uses: (a) To free from guilt or moral defilement; as, to purify the heart.
- verb To grow or become pure or clear.
Etymology [F.purifier, L. purificare; purus pure + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Pure, and -fy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “purify”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details