PURGATORY Definition & Meaning

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purgatory

[ pur-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural purgatories.

(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.
(initial capital letter, italics) Italian �ʳܰ�·��·�ٴ�·�� [poo, r, -gah-, taw, -, r, yaw]. the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the repentant sinners are depicted. Compare inferno ( def 3 ), paradise ( def 7 ).
any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation, or the like.

adjective

serving to cleanse, purify, or expiate.

purgatory

/ ˈpɜːɡətərɪ; -trɪ /

noun

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
a place or condition of suffering or torment, esp one that is temporary

purgatory

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 (see also 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.

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Notes

A “purgatory” is, by extension, any place of suffering, usually for past misdeeds.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of purgatory¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; (for the noun) Middle English purgatorie, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin ��ū��ō��ܳ�, noun use of neuter of Late Latin ��ū��ō��ܲ� “purging,” from ��ū��(��) “to purge” ( purge ) + -��ō��ܲ� -tory ¹; adjective derivative of the noun

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of purgatory¹

C13: from Old French purgatoire, from Medieval Latin ��ū��ō��ܳ�, literally: place of cleansing, from Latin ��ū�� to purge

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

If the Angels cannot hit on the majority of those prospects — and it would not be typical for a team to hit on so many — then back to purgatory they go.

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For now, he’s in a kind of purgatory.

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When we checked in with her in the aftermath of the destruction, she said: “My God, I feel like I’m in purgatory.”

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“It is easy to kick the can down the road, to provide these countries just enough financing to help them meet their immediate repayment obligations. But that simply extends their purgatory.”

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If there’s a way out of his purgatory, no one can see it, the mounting defeats and shortage of high-end talent obscuring the path ahead.

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