Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “purging” come from?

Purging comes from Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin purgo meaning "to cleanse," ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- meaning "to drive or lead."

purging (English): present participle of purge; The act or an...

Definitions

  1. present participle of purge; The act or an...

Ancestry of “purging”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpurgynge—
2Middle Englishpurgen—
3Old Frenchpurgierto purge
4Latinpūrgō—
5Latin-igoEnlargement of -ō; Suffixed to nouns and to...
6Proto-Italicagōdrive; push, impel; do, act
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →