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pu·ri·fy

(pyrə-fī′)

tr.v. pu·ri·fied, pu·ri·fy·ing, pu·ri·fies

1. To rid of impurities: purify water.

2. To rid of foreign or objectionable elements: tried to purify the party of its dissenters.

3. To free from moral or spiritual defilement: rituals to purify the soul.

[Middle English purifien, from Old French purifier, from Latin pūrificāre : pūrus, clean; see PURE + -ficāre, -fy.]

pu·rifi·ca·to′ry (py-rĭfĭ-kə-tôr′ē) adj.

puri·fi′er n.

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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