expiate

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

From Latin expiatum, past participle of expiō (atone for).

[edit] Pronunciation

[edit] Verb

Infinitive
to expiate

Third person singular
expiates

Simple past
expiated

Past participle
expiated

Present participle
expiating

to expiate (third-person singular simple present expiates, present participle expiating, simple past and past participle expiated)

  1. (transitive or intransitive) To atone or make reparation for.
    • 1888, Leo XIII, "Quod Anniversarius",
      Thus those pious souls who expiate the remainder of their sins amidst such tortures will receive a special and opportune consolation, []
    • 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, Chapter VI,
      I am going out to expiate a great wrong, Paul. A very necessary feature of the expiation is the marksmanship of my opponent.
  2. (transitive) To make amends or pay the penalty for.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To relieve or cleanse of guilt.
    • 1829, Pierre Henri Larcher, Larcher's Notes on Herodotus, vol. 2, p. 195,
      [] and Epimenides was brought from Crete to expiate the city.

[edit] Usage notes

Intransitive use, constructed with for (like atone), is obsolete in Christian usage, but fairly common in informal discussions of Islam.

[edit] Translations

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[edit] Related terms