expiate

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English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈɛk.spi.eɪt/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

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

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To atone or make reparation for.
  2. (transitive) To make amends or pay the penalty for.
    • 1876, Jules Verne, translated by Stephen W. White, The Mysterious Island, part 2, chapter 17:
      He had only to live and expiate in solitude the crimes which he had committed.
    • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:
      And when it was required of him by the rigid laws of a haphazard justice, which in retrospect seems like every night of the week, he pressed his limp forelock into a filthy washbasin, clutched a tap in each throbbing hand, and expiated a string of crimes he didn't know he had committed until they were thoughtfully explained to him between each stroke by Mr. Willow or his representatives.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To relieve or cleanse of guilt.
    • 1829, Pierre Henri Larcher, Larcher's Notes on Herodotus, volume 2, page 195:
      [] and Epimenides was brought from Crete to expiate the city.
  4. (transitive) To purify with sacred rites.
  5. (transitive) To wind up, bring to an end.

Usage notes

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Intransitive use, constructed with for (like atone), is obsolete in Christian usage, but fairly common in informal discussions of Islam.

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

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Latin

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Verb

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expiāte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of expiō

Spanish

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Verb

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expiate

  1. second-person singular voseo imperative of expiar combined with te