Exorcisation

/ˌɛksɔrsɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun

Definition

The British spelling variant of exorcization; the act of driving out an evil spirit or demon, typically through religious rituals or prayers.

Etymology

From exorcise with the British suffix -ation (British spelling uses -isation for many -ization words). The root comes from Greek exorkizein (ex- out, horkizein to bind by oath), originally meaning to bind someone by oath to command demons to leave.

Kelly Says

British English adds an 's' in the middle (-isation) while American English uses 'z' (-ization), and this difference traces back to how French borrowed the Greek word differently than German did—a reminder that English's two major dialects inherited different pathways for the same root words!

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