purgation

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purgation

/pɜːˈɡeɪʃn/ UK
/pɜɹˈɡeɪʃn/ US

Where it comes from

From Middle English purgacioun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman purgacion, itself borrowed from Latin pūrgātiō; equivalent to purge + -ation.

noun purgations

countable, uncountable The process or act of purging, such as by the use of a purgative. […] Lanfrank takes Notice of Tract. 3. Doct. 3. cap. 18. ſaying, "I have ſeen many who being full of Humours, have made an Iſſue under the Knee, before due Purgation had been premis'd; whence, by reaſon of the too great Defluxion of Humours, the Legs tumified, ſo that the cauterized Place corrupted,
countable, uncountable The process or act of cleansing from sin or guilt. Secondly, The branches of Plants have been us'd in religious Purgations or Expiations. In the Moſaical Law there was one general kind of Sacrifice commanded for Purgation, which conſiſted of an Heifer ſacrificed and burnt to Aſhes; with which, and ſpring water, a Lee was made to ſerve for many ſorts
Similar: expiation, purification
archaic, countable, uncountable Exoneration or the act undertaken to achieve exoneration. Thus do all traitors; If their purgation did consist in words, They are as innocent as grace itself. Let it suffice thee that I trust thee not.

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MLA

"purgation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/purgation. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

purgation. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/purgation

Chicago

"purgation." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/purgation.

BibTeX

@misc{purgation_2026,
  title = {purgation},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/purgation},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}