PURIFY (purified)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: purified   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does purify mean? 

• PURIFY (verb)
  The verb PURIFY has 3 senses:

1. remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation

2. make pure or free from sin or guilt

3. become clean or pure or free of guilt and sin

  Familiarity information: PURIFY used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PURIFY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they purify    ... he / she / it purifies   
Past simple: purified   
Past participle: purified   
-ing form: purifying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

distill; make pure; purify; sublimate

Context example:

purify the water

Hypernyms (to "purify" is one way to...):

ameliorate; amend; better; improve; meliorate (to make better)

Verb group:

distil; distill (undergo the process of distillation)

Domain category:

chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "purify"):

rectify; refine (reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities)

purge (rid of impurities)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

purification (the act of cleaning by getting rid of impurities)

purification (the process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc.))

purifier (an apparatus for removing impurities)

purity (being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make pure or free from sin or guilt

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

purge; purify; sanctify

Context example:

he left the monastery purified

Hypernyms (to "purify" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "purify"):

spiritualise; spiritualize (purify from the corrupting influences of the world)

lustrate (purify by means of a ritual; also used in post-Communist countries to refer to the political cleansing of former officials)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

purification (a ceremonial cleansing from defilement or uncleanness by the performance of appropriate rites)

purity (the state of being unsullied by sin or moral wrong; lacking a knowledge of evil)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Become clean or pure or free of guilt and sin

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The hippies came to the ashram in order to purify

Hypernyms (to "purify" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

purification (the act of purging of sin or guilt; moral or spiritual cleansing)

 Context examples 

A purified gamma immunoglobulin (IgG) with immunosuppressive activity.

(Anti-Thymocyte Globulin, NCI Thesaurus)

In this study, the researchers purified and solved the structure of a thiopeptide antibiotic (lactocillin) produced by Lactobacillus bacteria that make up part of the vaginal microbial community.

(Human Body Microbes Make Antibiotics, Study Finds, NCCAM)

Hib vaccines contain polysaccharide-protein conjugate antigens that produce greater host immune responses than first-generation purified polysaccharide vaccine.

(Haemophilus Influenzae B Vaccine, NCI Thesaurus)

A purified, natural saponin isolated from the soapbark tree Quillaja saponaria Molina with potential immunoadjuvant activity.

(Immunoadjuvant OPT-821, NCI Thesaurus)

A process that fills a container with a purified medical gas, which is not performed under sterile conditions.

(Non-Sterile Medical Gas Filling Method, NCI Thesaurus)

A highly purified alpha interferon produced by a human lymphoid cell line.

(Interferon Alfa-N1, NCI Thesaurus)

One group received a naturally sourced diet that was lower in purified sugars and fat, and higher in protein and fiber than the other diet.

(Longer daily fasting times improve health and longevity, National Institutes of Health)

A highly purified solution of recombinant human deoxyribonuclease I (rhDNAse) with selective DNA cleaving activity.

(Dornase alfa inhalation solution, NCI Thesaurus)

Therefore, I will have it cleared; I will have it purified of you.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The researchers made NMDA receptors in insect cells and then purified them.

(Structure of receptor involved in brain disorders, NIH)