purging

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English purgynge; equivalent to purge +‎ -ing. === Pronunciation === Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)dʒɪŋ === Verb === purging present participle and gerund of purge === Noun === purging (countable and uncountable, plural purgings) The act or an instance of eliminating contamination: a purification, a cleansing, particularly: (chiefly politics) A removal of undesirable people. (chiefly chemistry) The cleansing of a device by flushing it with water, steam, or some other liquid or gas. The removal of waste from the human body, particularly: (premodern medicine) The removal of excess humors through bloodletting, induced vomiting, etc. (medicine) The removal of digested waste: defecation; defecation induced by laxatives. (chiefly medicine) Vomiting; vomiting induced by purgatives. (obsolete and rare) That which is purged: contamination, a contaminant; refuse; sin; etc. (obsolete and rare) Synonym of purgation: the act or an instance of removing guilt or suspicion of a misdeed. (dermatology) The process in which acne temporarily worsened due to the introduction of skincare products that increase cell turnover, bringing underlying acne to the surface more quickly. ==== Synonyms ==== (removal of undesirables): purge; see also witchhunt (defecation): See Thesaurus:defecation (vomiting): See vomiting and Thesaurus:regurgitate (thing purged): See blood, sin, Thesaurus:vomit, and Thesaurus:feces ==== Derived terms ==== purging cassia purging nut purging place ==== Translations ==== === References === "purging, n." in the Oxford English Dictionary (2007), Oxford: Oxford University Press. == Middle English == === Noun === purging alternative form of purgynge