frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

purgative effects of the spicy food.
purge v. 1 cleanse, purify, clean (out), clear, scour (out),
depurate, deterge, wash (out): The tanks must be purged before
filling them with the new fuel. 2 eject, eradicate, expel,
eliminate, get rid of, dismiss, clear out or away, sweep away or
out, oust, remove, rout out, weed out, root out; do away with,
exterminate, liquidate, kill, destroy: After the coup, the old
guard was purged from all the governmental agencies. The rebels
purged the entire council of elders. 3 clear, exonerate,
absolve, forgive, purify, pardon, exculpate: He was given every
opportunity to purge himself of the charge of contempt of court.
--n. 4 ejection, eradication, expulsion, elimination,
dismissal, clearing out or away, ousting, ouster, removal,
routing out, weeding out, rooting out, unseating;
defenestration; extermination, liquidation, killing, murder,
slaughter: The bloody purge of dissidents was carried out by
the secret police. 5 See purgative, 1, above.
purify v. 1 cleanse, clean, clarify, wash, sanitize, depurate,
decontaminate, freshen, disinfect; fumigate: The water is then
purified by passing it through sand. 2 exonerate, exculpate,
absolve, clear, redeem, shrive, lustrate, acquit, pardon,
forgive, excuse: Before the aspirants can be admitted to the
church they must be purified.
purist n. pedant, precisian, formalist, stickler, blue-stocking,
dogmatist, Pharisee, fanatic, Colloq die-hard, stuffed shirt:
Language purists are often unaware of their own grammatical and
semantic blunders.
puritan n. 1 moralist, pietist, religionist, fanatic, zealot, purist:
It seems to me that all religions have their puritans.
--adj. 2 prudish, puritanical, prim, proper, strait-laced,
ascetic, austere, moralistic, pietistic, intolerant,
disapproving, bigoted, narrow-minded, stuffy, stiff-necked,
rigid, uncompromising, hard-line, stern, severe, strict, Colloq
uptight, hard-nosed: Puritan notions about women's clothing
have often put propriety before practicality.
purity n. 1 pureness, faultlessness, correctness, flawlessness,