purify

IPA/ˈpjʊərɪfaɪ/
KK[pjˈʊrəfˌaɪ]IPA/ˈpjʊrɪfaɪ/

purify — verb

  • purifypresent simple I / you / we / they
  • purifieshe / she / it
  • purifiedpast simple
  • purifying-ing form

1. to take out unwanted or harmful materials from a substance — such as water, air,

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to take out unwanted or harmful materials from a substance — such as water, air, or a chemical — so that it becomes clean and safe to use.

例句

The water company uses filters to purify the drinking supply for millions of homes.

purify + drinking supply — typical physical object

Mei-Lin boiled the river water for ten minutes to purify it before drinking.

同義詞
  • clean

    everyday word; less thorough, usually removes visible dirt rather than microscopic impurities

  • filter

    more specific; means passing through a barrier to remove particles

  • refine

    industrial context; improves quality by removing impurities, often from metals or oil

反義詞
  • contaminate

    to make something dirty or unsafe by adding harmful substances

  • pollute

    to damage the environment with harmful materials

文法句型

purify + noun phrase

用法筆記

The direct object is usually a physical substance or a general noun for the thing being cleaned (water, air, a chemical, a metal). The method can be added with 'by + gerund' (by boiling, by filtering, by distilling).

常見錯誤

❌I need to clean the water completely.
✅I need to purify the water by boiling it.
💡'clean' is general (removing visible dirt); 'purify' means removing harmful microscopic substances.

2. to free someone's inner self — their mind, heart, or soul — from guilt, bad thou

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to free someone's inner self — their mind, heart, or soul — from guilt, bad thoughts, or moral wrongdoing, often as part of a religious or ceremonial practice.

例句

The monk sat by the river and prayed to purify his heart of angry thoughts.

purify + heart + of [emotion] — spiritual cleansing pattern

The elders hold a ceremony each year to purify the temple for the harvest festival.

同義詞
  • cleanse

    more common in spiritual/ritual contexts; similar meaning but more poetic

  • absolve

    formal; specifically means declaring someone free from guilt or sin, often by religious authority

反義詞
  • corrupt

    to make someone morally bad or dishonest

  • defile

    to spoil the purity of something sacred

文法句型

purify + abstract noun

purify + reflexive pronoun

purify + of + noun

用法筆記

The object is typically an abstract noun (soul, heart, mind, spirit) or a reflexive pronoun (purify oneself). The sense is often linked to religious or spiritual traditions. The thing being removed can be specified with 'of + noun' (purify of sin, purify of guilt).

常見錯誤

❌The priest purified the man's shoes before dinner.
✅The priest purified the man's soul through prayer.
💡With the spiritual meaning, everyday physical objects (clothes, shoes, tools, furniture) are NOT valid because they involve ordinary cleaning, not ritual cleansing. However, physical places used in religious ceremonies — temples, shrines, altars, sacred rooms — ARE valid because they are being purified ritually, not cleaned with soap and water.