All 3 Uses of
purge
in
The Winter's Tale
- 'Tis such as you,— That creep like shadows by him, and do sigh At each his needless heavings,—such as you Nourish the cause of his awaking: I Do come, with words as med'cinal as true, Honest as either, to purge him of that humour That presses him from sleep.†
Scene 2.3 *purge = get rid of
- The king is not at the palace; he is gone aboard a new ship to purge melancholy and air himself: for, if thou beest capable of things serious, thou must know the king is full of grief.†
Scene 4.4
- The blessed gods Purge all infection from our air whilst you Do climate here!†
Scene 5.1
Definition:
get rid of things thought undesirable
The exact meaning of purge can depend upon its context. For example:
- "purge the government of our enemies" -- get rid of people for political reasons
- "purge my closet of everything I haven't worn in a year" -- get rid of undesired things
- "To purge yourself of crippling sorrow, you'll need to express it." -- get rid of unwanted feelings
- "I'm doing a 24-hour purge and then starting a new diet." -- emptying the intestinal tract