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purgatory

noun
/ˈpɝɡəˌtɔɹi/US/ˈpɜːɡət(ə)ɹi/UK

Etymology

From Middle English purgatorie, from Old French purgatore, purgatorie, from Latin purgātōrium (“cleansing”). Cognate to English purge.

  1. derived from purgātōrium
  2. derived from purgatore
  3. inherited from purgatorie

Definitions

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Purgatory.

  2. Any situation where suffering is endured, particularly as part of a process of redemption.

    • the purgatory of lost love
    • […] many Gods breedeth heathens miseries, many countries trauailers humors, many wiues mens purgatories, and many friends trustes ruine:
    • I laid my rank and fortune at the fair one’s feet, and would have married instantly; but that Oldworth opposed my precipitancy, and insisted upon a probation of six months absence—It has been a purgatory!

  3. Tending to cleanse

    Tending to cleanse; expiatory.

    • Last of all, the prodigie of Siracusa was expiat by a purgatory sacrifice, by direction from the soothsaiers to what gods, supplications and sacrifice should be made.
    • This purgatory interval is not unfavourable to a faithless representative, who may be as good a canvasser as he was a bad governor.
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. An intermediate state after death in which some of those ultimately destined for Heaven…

      An intermediate state after death in which some of those ultimately destined for Heaven must first undergo purification.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for purgatory. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA