exorcise, exorcize
(verb) expel through adjuration or prayers; “exorcise evil spirits”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
exorcise (third-person singular simple present exorcises, present participle exorcising, simple past and past participle exorcised)
(transitive) To drive out (an evil spirit) from a person, place or thing, especially by an incantation or prayer.
(transitive) To rid (a person, place or thing) of an evil spirit.
Unlike most verbs using the -ise/-ize suffix, exorcise is more commonly spelled with -s- even in American English.
Source: Wiktionary
Ex"or*cise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Exorcised ; p. pr. & vb. n. Exorcising .] Etym: [L. exorcizare, Gr. exorciser.]
1. To cast out, as a devil, evil spirits, etc., by conjuration or summoning by a holy name, or by certain ceremonies; to expel (a demon) or to conjure (a demon) to depart out of a person possessed by one. He impudently excorciseth devils in the church. Prynne.
2. To deliver or purify from the influence of an evil spirit or demon. Exorcise the beds and cross the walls. Dryden. Mr. Spectator . . . do all you can to exorcise crowds who are . . . processed as I am. Spectator.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
3 May 2025
(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”
The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.
