EXORCISE

exorcise, exorcize

(verb) expel through adjuration or prayers; “exorcise evil spirits”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

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.

Usage notes

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



RESET




Word of the Day

25 December 2024

UNAMBIGUOUS

(adjective) having or exhibiting a single clearly defined meaning; “As a horror, apartheid...is absolutely unambiguous”- Mario Vargas Llosa


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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