purify
Definitions
To remove impurities from something; to make clean
净化，提纯；使洁净
To free from sin, guilt, or moral fault
使（心灵）净化；涤罪
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedpur (clean) + -fy (from Latin facere, "to make") = "to make clean." Unlike the adjective pure, which just describes a state, purify is the active verb: you take something contaminated and work the dirt out of it — water, air, blood, or the soul.
Root pur still carries 11 more wordsCommon Collocations
- 1.purify water净化水
- 2.purify the air净化空气
- 3.purify the soul净化心灵
- 4.purify blood净化血液
Example Sentences
- 1.
The factory uses charcoal filters to purify the drinking water.
- 2.
These plants help purify the air inside the house.
- 3.
In the ritual, the priest sprinkled water to purify the worshippers.
Synonym Comparison
- purify — remove impurities to make something clean: purify water
- cleanse — wash clean, often the body or skin, or figuratively the soul: cleanse a wound
- refine — improve by removing crude parts, esp. industrially: refine oil, refine sugar
- filter — remove particles by passing through a barrier: filter coffee
- sterilize — kill germs specifically, not remove other impurities