Dictionary Home »
Webster's New World College Dictionary » bowdlerize
bowdlerize
bowdlerize definition
bowd·ler·ize (bo̵ud′lər īz′, bōd′-)
transitive verb bowdlerized -·ized′, bowdlerizing -·iz′·ing
to remove passages considered offensive from (a book, play, etc.)
Etymology: after Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), Eng editor who (1818) published an expurgated Shakespeare
Related Forms:
- bowdlerism bowd′·ler·ism′ noun
- bowdlerization bowd′·ler·i·za′·tion noun
Browse dictionary definitions near bowdlerize
Also Mentioned In