Lewis & Short

purgo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [contr. for purigo, from purum ago], to make clean or pure, to clean, cleanse, purify (class.).

  1. I. Lit.: oleam a foliis et stercore purgato, Cato, R. R. 65, 1: cum falcibus purgarunt locum, cleared the place, freed it from bushes, etc., Cic. Tusc. 5, 23, 65; Liv. 24, 19: arva longis ligonibus, Ov. P. 1, 8, 59: domum muribus, Phaedr. 1, 22, 3: fossas, Plin. 18, 26, 64, § 236: proprios leniter ungues cultello, Hor. Ep. 1, 7, 51: cana labra, i. e. to clear or free from beard, Mart. 9, 28, 5: pisces, Ter. Ad. 3, 3, 22: segetes, Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 241.
    Absol.: levi sarculo purgare, Plin. 18, 26, 65, § 241.
    Mid.: purgor in amni, wash, Sil. 8, 125.
      1. 2. In partic., in medic. lang., to cleanse by stool, vomiting, etc., to purge: quid scammoneae radix ad purgandum possit, Cic. Div. 1, 10, 16; Cato, R. R. 157, 3: si is, qui saepe purgatus est, subito habet alvum suppressam, Cels. 2, 12: qui purgor bilem sub verni temporis horam, Hor. A. P. 302: se helleboro, Val. Max. 8, 7, 5 fin.: se per inferna aut vomitione, Plin. 25, 5, 21, § 51.
    1. B. Transf.
      1. 1. To make even by clearing away, to level, Inscr. Murat. 582 fin.; cf.: purgare viam proprie dicitur ad libramentum proprium redigere, sublato eo quod supra eam esset, Dig. 43, 11, 1, § 1.
      2. 2. To clear away, remove: rudera, Suet. Vesp. 8: vermes clavo aëneo, Pall. 4, 10, 4: lapides, id. 3, 6: sordes, Claud. in Eutr. 1, 383; cf.: scindit se nubes et in aethera purgat apertum, melts away, Verg. A. 1, 587.
        1. b. In partic., in medicine, to remove or expel by purging, rinsing, etc., to heal, cure: purgatum te illius morbi, Hor. S. 2, 3, 27: pituitas, Plin. 20, 17, 73, § 188: fastidium lauri folio, id. 8, 27, 41, § 101: suppurationes, id. 23, 1, 16, § 24: tarditatem aurium, id. 23, 2, 28, § 59: succus purgat cicatrices et nubeculas (oculorum), id. 27, 12, 85, § 109.
  2. II. Trop., to cleanse, purify (syn. lustro).
    1. A. In gen.: pectora, Lucr. 6, 24: urbem, Cic. Cat. 1, 5, 10: amplissimos ordines contaminatos veteri neglegentiā purgavit, Suet. Vesp. 9: rationes, to clear up, settle, pay, id. Calig. 29.
    2. B. To clear away, remove: metum doloris, Quint. 12, 2, 3.
    3. C. In partic.
      1. 1. To clear from accusation, to excuse, exculpate, justify (syn. excuso): ut me purgarem tibi, Plaut. Am. 3, 2, 28: QVIBVS DE REBVS VOS PVRGAVISTIS … QVOMQVE DE EIEIS REBVS SENATVEI PVRGATI ESTIS, S. C. de Tiburt. lin. 3 and 12 (ap. Grut. 499, 12): quod te mihi de Sempronio purgas, accipio excusationem, Cic. Fam. 12, 25, 3: cui se purgat, id. Or. 29, 230: ego me tibi purgo, id. Fam. 15, 17, 1; so, Caesarem de interitu Marcelli, id. Att. 13, 10, 3: si quis tibi se purgare volet, quod, etc., Q. Cic. Petit. Cons. 9, 35: si parum vobis essem purgatus, Cic. Phil. 14, 6, 17: velle Pompeium se Caesari purgatum, ne, etc., Caes. B. C. 1, 8; cf. id. B. G. 1, 28: ea pars epistulae tuae, per quam te ac mores tuos mihi purgatos ac probatos esse voluisti, Cic. Att. 1, 17, 7; Ter. Hec. 2, 2, 12: accedebant blanditiae virorum factum purgantium cupiditate atque amore, Liv. 1, 9 fin.: factum, Ov. P. 3, 2, 24: facinus, Curt. 7, 5, 39; 5, 12, 8: crimina, to disprove, Cic. Clu. 1, 3; Liv. 38, 48, 14; cf. probra, Tac. A. 4, 42: adulescentem crimine civilis belli, to acquit, id. ib. 3, 17: innocentiam suam, to vindicate, Liv. 9, 26: suspicionem, to remove, id. 28, 43: ea, quae ipsis obicerentur, to refute, id. 8, 23: purget miles, quod vicerit hostem, Sil. 7, 510: aliquem alicujus rei, Liv. 37, 28: se adversus alicujus criminationes purgare, Suet. Caes. 55: illi lacrimantes nunc purgare se, Curt. 5, 10, 11.
        With acc. and inf.: laborare regem, ut purganti se nihil hostile dixisse aut fecisse, fides habeatur, Liv. 42, 14: qui purgarent nec accitos ab eo Bastarnas nec auctore eo quidquam facere, id. 41, 19.
      2. 2. To cleanse or purge from a crime or sin with religious rites, to make expiation or atonement for, to expiate, purify, atone for, lustrate, = expiare, lustrare (poet. and in post-Aug. prose): di patrii, purgamus agros, purgamus agrestes, Tib. 2, 1, 17: populos, Ov. F. 4, 640: myrtea verbena Romanos Sabinosque, Plin. 15, 29, 36, § 119: pontifices purgantes moenia, Luc. 1, 593: domus purgantur lustranturque, Plin. 25, 9, 59, § 105.
        With the crime or act as an object: nefas, Ov. M. 13, 952: crimen gladio, Luc. 8, 518; Vulg. Ecclus. 47, 13.
        Hence, purgā-tus, a, um, P. a.
    1. A. Cleansed, purified, pure (poet.): auris, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 7: somnia pituitā purgatissima, Pers. 2, 57: purgatioris auri vena, Mart. Cap. 1, § 7 (cf. Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 179).
    2. B. Excused, exculpated: ita fiducia quam argumentis purgatiores dimittuntur, Sall. Fragm. ap. Non. 310, 22, and ap. Don. Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 28.
    3. C. Pure, freed from sin (eccl. Lat.): vota purgatiora, Aug. Civ. Dei, 6, 2: purgatissima ecclesia, id. Doctr. Christ. 2, 16: pietas, id. Ver. Rel. 1.
      Hence, adv.: purgātē, purely: enucleate dicitur purgate, exquisite, Non. 60, 5.