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purgo , āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. contr. for purigo, from purum ago,
I.to make clean or pure, to clean, cleanse, purify (class.).
I. Lit.: “oleam a foliis et stercore purgato,” Cato, R. R. 65, 1: cum falcibus purgarunt locum, cleared the place, freed it from bushes, etc., Cic. Tusc. 5, 23, 65; Liv. 24, 19: “arva longis ligonibus,” Ov. P. 1, 8, 59: “domum muribus,” Phaedr. 1, 22, 3: “fossas,” Plin. 18, 26, 64, § 236: “proprios leniter ungues cultello,” Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 51: cana labra, i. e. to clear or free from beard, Mart. 9, 28, 5: “pisces,” Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 22: “segetes,” Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 241.—Absol.: “levi sarculo purgare,” Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 241.—Mid.: “purgor in amni,” wash, Sil. 8, 125.—
2. In partic., in medic. lang., to cleanse by stool, vomiting, etc., to purge: “quid scammoneae radix ad purgandum possit,” Cic. Div. 1, 10, 16; Cato, R. R. 157, 3: “si is, qui saepe purgatus est, subito habet alvum suppressam,” Cels. 2, 12: “qui purgor bilem sub verni temporis horam,” Hor. A. P. 302: “se helleboro,” Val. Max. 8, 7, 5 fin.: “se per inferna aut vomitione,” Plin. 25, 5, 21, § 51.—
B. Transf.
1. To make even by clearing away, to level, Inscr. Murat. 582 fin.; cf.: “purgare viam proprie dicitur ad libramentum proprium redigere, sublato eo quod supra eam esset,” Dig. 43, 11, 1, § 1.—
2. To clear away, remove: “rudera,” Suet. Vesp. 8: “vermes clavo aëneo,” Pall. 4, 10, 4: “lapides,” id. 3, 6: “sordes,” Claud. in Eutr. 1, 383; cf.: “scindit se nubes et in aethera purgat apertum,” melts away, Verg. A. 1, 587.—
b. In partic., in medicine, to remove or expel by purging, rinsing, etc., to heal, cure: “purgatum te illius morbi,” Hor. S. 2, 3, 27: “pituitas,” Plin. 20, 17, 73, § 188: “fastidium lauri folio,” id. 8, 27, 41, § 101: “suppurationes,” id. 23, 1, 16, § 24: “tarditatem aurium,” id. 23, 2, 28, § 59: “succus purgat cicatrices et nubeculas (oculorum),” id. 27, 12, 85, § 109.—
II. Trop., to cleanse, purify (syn. lustro).
A. In gen.: “pectora,” Lucr. 6, 24: “urbem,” Cic. Cat. 1, 5, 10: “amplissimos ordines contaminatos veteri neglegentiā purgavit,” Suet. Vesp. 9: “rationes,” to clear up, settle, pay, id. Calig. 29.—
B. To clear away, remove: “metum doloris,” Quint. 12, 2, 3.—
C. In partic.
1. To clear from accusation, to excuse, exculpate, justify (syn. excuso): “ut me purgarem tibi,” Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 28: “QVIBVS DE REBVS VOS PVRGAVISTIS ... QVOMQVE DE EIEIS REBVS SENATVEI PVRGATI ESTIS, S. C. de Tiburt. lin. 3 and 12 (ap. Grut. 499, 12): quod te mihi de Sempronio purgas, accipio excusationem,” Cic. Fam. 12, 25, 3: “cui se purgat,” id. Or. 29, 230: “ego me tibi purgo,” id. Fam. 15, 17, 1; so, “Caesarem de interitu Marcelli,” id. Att. 13, 10, 3: “si quis tibi se purgare volet, quod, etc.,” Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 9, 35: “si parum vobis essem purgatus,” Cic. Phil. 14, 6, 17: “velle Pompeium se Caesari purgatum, ne, etc.,” Caes. B. C. 1, 8; cf. id. B. G. 1, 28: “ea pars epistulae tuae, per quam te ac mores tuos mihi purgatos ac probatos esse voluisti,” Cic. Att. 1, 17, 7; Ter. Hec. 2, 2, 12: “accedebant blanditiae virorum factum purgantium cupiditate atque amore,” Liv. 1, 9 fin.: “factum,” Ov. P. 3, 2, 24: “facinus,” Curt. 7, 5, 39; 5, 12, 8: “crimina,” to disprove, Cic. Clu. 1, 3; Liv. 38, 48, 14; cf. “probra,” Tac. A. 4, 42: “adulescentem crimine civilis belli,” to acquit, id. ib. 3, 17: “innocentiam suam,” to vindicate, Liv. 9, 26: “suspicionem,” to remove, id. 28, 43: “ea, quae ipsis obicerentur,” to refute, id. 8, 23: “purget miles, quod vicerit hostem,” Sil. 7, 510: “aliquem alicujus rei,” Liv. 37, 28: “se adversus alicujus criminationes purgare,” Suet. Caes. 55: “illi lacrimantes nunc purgare se,” Curt. 5, 10, 11.—With acc. and inf.: “laborare regem, ut purganti se nihil hostile dixisse aut fecisse, fides habeatur,” Liv. 42, 14: “qui purgarent nec accitos ab eo Bastarnas nec auctore eo quidquam facere,” id. 41, 19.—
2. To cleanse or purge from a crime or sin with religious rites, to make expiation or atonement for, to expiate, purify, atone for, lustrate, = expiare, lustrare (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): “di patrii, purgamus agros, purgamus agrestes,” Tib. 2, 1, 17: “populos,” Ov. F. 4, 640: “myrtea verbena Romanos Sabinosque,” Plin. 15, 29, 36, § 119: “pontifices purgantes moenia,” Luc. 1, 593: “domus purgantur lustranturque,” Plin. 25, 9, 59, § 105. —With the crime or act as an object: nefas, Ov. M. 13, 952: “crimen gladio,” Luc. 8, 518; Vulg. Ecclus. 47, 13.—Hence, purgā-tus , a, um, P. a.
A. Cleansed, purified, pure (poet.): “auris,” Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 7: “somnia pituitā purgatissima,” Pers. 2, 57: “purgatioris auri vena,” Mart. Cap. 1, § 7 (cf. Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 179).—
B. Excused, exculpated: ita fiducia quam argumentis purgatiores dimittuntur, Sall. Fragm. ap. Non. 310, 22, and ap. Don. Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 28.—
C. Pure, freed from sin (eccl. Lat.): “vota purgatiora, Aug. Civ. Dei, 6, 2: purgatissima ecclesia,” id. Doctr. Christ. 2, 16: “pietas,” id. Ver. Rel. 1. —Hence, adv.: purgātē , purely: “enucleate dicitur purgate, exquisite,” Non. 60, 5.
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

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  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (50):
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 12.25.3
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 15.17.1
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 13.10.3
    • Cicero, Letters to Atticus, 1.17.7
    • null, 9.35
    • Caesar, Gallic War, 1.28
    • Cicero, Philippics, 14.6.17
    • Cicero, Against Catiline, 1.5.10
    • Cicero, For Aulus Cluentius, 1.3
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 9, 26
    • Ovid, Metamorphoses, 13.952
    • Vergil, Aeneid, 1.587
    • Suetonius, Divus Vespasianus, 9
    • Horace, Satires, 2.3.27
    • Horace, Ars Poetica, 302
    • Caesar, Civil War, 1.8
    • Tacitus, Annales, 4.42
    • Plautus, Amphitruo, 3.2
    • Plautus, Miles Gloriosus, 3.1
    • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, 6.24
    • Suetonius, Caligula, 29
    • Suetonius, Divus Julius, 55
    • Suetonius, Divus Vespasianus, 8
    • Lucan, Civil War, 1.593
    • Lucan, Civil War, 8.518
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 25.105
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 25.51
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 27.109
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 23.24
    • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 23.59
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 42, 14
    • A. Cornelius Celsus, De Medicina, 2.12
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 8, 23
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 37, 28
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 28, 43
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 41, 19
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 1, 9
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 24, 19
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 38, 48
    • Cicero, De Divinatione, 1.10
    • Cicero, Tusculanae Disputationes, 5.23
    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 12, 2.3
    • Ovid, Ex Ponto, 1.8
    • Ovid, Ex Ponto, 3.2
    • Persius, Saturae, 2
    • Curtius, Historiarum Alexandri Magni, 5.10.11
    • Curtius, Historiarum Alexandri Magni, 5.12.8
    • Curtius, Historiarum Alexandri Magni, 7.5.39
    • Ovid, Fasti, 4
    • Valerius Maximus, Facta et Dicta Memorabilia, 8.7.5
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