to lustrate
- verb
- /ˈlʌs.treɪt/
- Formal
- The ancient priest would lustrate the temple to ensure a sacred space for the worshippers.
Examples
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Before the new officials took their positions, they were required to lustrate their past affiliations to avoid any political controversies.
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A cleansing ceremony was held to lustrate the community after the scandal involving the former mayor.
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Portals, too, served as a primary focus of the liturgy of dedication and were anointed and lustrated during the consecration ritual.
Academic text (2005) -
The good is nothing but a refutation of evil in the lustrating confession entailing a meeting between good and evil (figuratively depicted by the ambivalence of Sister Alone in the sacrifice) that issues in purgation.
Academic text (1997)
Antonyms
How Purifying
- Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
lustrate = lustr + ate
The verb-forming suffix '-ate' is recognizable but the root 'lustr' is not a standalone English word and is obscure to learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from known English components.
Etymology
Lustrate comes from the Latin root lustrare, which meant 'to purify' or 'to make bright'. Think of polishing a dull metal until it has lustre — that image helps: to lustrate is to cleanse or make pure, often by a ritual, and in politics it can mean removing people to 'clean' a government.