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pur·ga·to·ry

(pûrgə-tôr′ē)

n. pl. pur·ga·to·ries

1. Roman Catholic Church A state in which the souls of those who have died in grace must expiate their sins.

2. A place or condition of suffering, expiation, or remorse: a purgatory of drug abuse.

adj.

Tending to cleanse or purge.

[Middle English purgatorie, from Old French purgatoire, from Medieval Latin pūrgātōrium, from Late Latin, means of purgation, from neuter of pūrgātōrius, cleansing, from Latin pūrgāre, to cleanse; see PURGE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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