To remove obscene, offensive, or objectionable material from a text or publication; to censor or clean up content.
From Latin 'expurgatus' (ex- 'out' + purgare 'to purify'). The word emerged in English around the 16th century, initially referring to the Index of Prohibited Books maintained by the Catholic Church.
The 'Index Expurgatorius' was the Catholic Church's official list of books requiring expurgation—this word is baked into the history of censorship, showing how powerful institutions controlled what people could read through official editing.
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