ex-purgo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a., to purge, cleanse, purify (class.).
I Lit.: dolabella quicquid emortuum est (trunci aut vitis), Col. 4, 24, 5: capisterio quicquid exteretur, id. 2, 9, 1: lepras, psoras, lichenas, lentigines, Plin. 23, 7, 64, § 126.—Poet.: quae poterunt umquam satis expurgare (me) cicutae? i. e. to cure of poetic ecstasy , * Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 53: vetus fermentum, remove by cleansing , Vulg. 1 Cor. 5, 7.—
B Trop.: expurgandus est sermo, * Cic. Brut. 74, 258.—
II In partic., to clear from censure , to exculpate , vindicate , justify , excuse : me expurgare tibi volo, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 87; id. Mil. 2, 6, 17: sine me expurgem, Ter. And. 900; id. Hec. 742: non facile est expurgatu, id. ib. 277: sese parum expurgat, fails to vindicate , Sall. J. 69, 4: requirens objecta et expurgaturum asseverans, Tac. A. 16, 24: fidem consiliumque publicum, Gell. 7, 3, 5.—Hence, P. a. : expurgātus , a, um, pure , clear; comp. : mens, Rufin. Orig. de Princ. 1, 1, 7.