The British spelling of bowdlerization; the act of removing or altering parts of a book, film, or text considered offensive or indecent.
British English -isation ending (vs. American -ization) of bowdlerize, named after Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), who published censored editions of Shakespeare removing 'offensive' passages.
Thomas Bowdler was so obsessed with removing curse words and sexual references from Shakespeare that his name became a verb meaning 'to censor absurdly.' His 'Family Shakespeare' was mocked even in his own time!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.