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Expurgate definition

ĕkspər-gāt
expurgated expurgates expurgating
See word origin
Frequency:
To remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable material from (a book, for example) before publication.
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To remove passages considered obscene or otherwise objectionable from (a book, etc.)
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To expunge (objectionable material) from; delete.
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To expurgate is defined as to edit or remove material that is considered to be obscene or objectionable.

When you edit out the parts of a book you consider to be inappropriate, this is an example of a time when you expurgate.

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To edit out rude, incorrect, offensive, useless, or otherwise undesirable information from a book, CD or other publication; to cleanse; to purge.

The publisher decided to expurgate the love scene from the book, to make it more child-friendly.

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Origin of expurgate

  • Latin expūrgāre expūrgāt- to purify ex- intensive pref. ex– pūrgāre to cleanse peuə- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin expurgātus, perfect passive participle of expurgō (“cleanse thoroughly”).

    From Wiktionary