purgatory

[pur-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈpɜr gəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/
noun, plural purgatories.
1.
(in the belief of Roman Catholics and others) a condition or place in which the souls of those dying penitent are purified from venial sins, or undergo the temporal punishment that, after the guilt of mortal sin has been remitted, still remains to be endured by the sinner.
2.
(initial capital letter, italics). Italian Purgatorio
[poor-gah-taw-ryaw] /ˌpur gɑˈtɔ ryɔ/ (Show IPA). the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the repentant sinners are depicted.
Compare inferno (def 3), paradise (def 7).
3.
any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation, or the like.
adjective
4.
serving to cleanse, purify, or expiate.
Origin
1175-1225; (noun) Middle English purgatorie (< Anglo-French) < Medieval Latin pūrgātōrium, noun use of neuter of Late Latin pūrgātōrius purging, equivalent to pūrgā(re) to purge + -tōrius -tory1; (adj.) Middle English purgatorie < Late Latin pūrgātōrius
Examples from the web for purgatory
  • Hotel guests step into a stark white chamber, representing purgatory, before choosing their path.
  • The animals are currently trapped in a kind of legal purgatory.
  • Everything from a robust doctrine of purgatory to dietary laws to the usual holiness tradition stuff.
  • And if so, it boosts the popular fan theory that the island on which the cast is stranded is purgatory.
  • It's a purgatory that has even altered vacation plans.
  • Defense lawyers representing some of the unindicted coconspirators describe their clients' lives as purgatory.
  • If the devil is in the details, climate change negotiators are about to enter purgatory.
  • The country is certainly in a state of purgatory, with some making what might be gestures toward redemption.
  • Thanks for saving us from the purgatory of boxing books.
  • OK, it seems that my comment is still in moderation purgatory.
British Dictionary definitions for purgatory

purgatory

/ˈpɜːɡətərɪ; -trɪ/
noun
1.
(mainly RC Church) a state or place in which the souls of those who have died in a state of grace are believed to undergo a limited amount of suffering to expiate their venial sins and become purified of the remaining effects of mortal sin
2.
a place or condition of suffering or torment, esp one that is temporary
Word Origin
C13: from Old French purgatoire, from Medieval Latin pūrgātōrium, literally: place of cleansing, from Latin pūrgāre to purge
Word Origin and History for purgatory
n.

c.1200, from Old French purgatore and directly from Medieval Latin purgatorium (St. Bernard, early 12c.), in Latin, "means of cleansing," noun use of neuter of purgatorius (adj.) "purging, cleansing," from purgat-, past participle stem of Latin purgare (see purge (v.)). Figurative use from late 14c.

purgatory in Culture

purgatory definition


In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the condition of souls of the dead who die with some punishment (though not damnation) due them for their sins. Purgatory is conceived as a condition of suffering and purification that leads to union with God in heaven. Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible; Catholic authorities defend the teaching on purgatory by arguing that prayer for the dead is an ancient practice of Christianity and that this practice assumes that the dead can be in a state of suffering — a state that the living can improve by their prayers.

Note: A “purgatory” is, by extension, any place of suffering, usually for past misdeeds.
Slang definitions & phrases for purgatory

purgatory

noun

An extremely unpleasant experience; a temporary condition of suffering: the purgatory of drug abuse (1807+)