castigate

Pronunciation: /ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb censure severely
  2. verb inflict severe punishment on

Etymology

First attested in the beginnin of the 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin castīgātus, perfect passive participle of castīgō (“to reprove”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from castus (“pure, chaste”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱes- (“to cut”). Doublet of chastise and chasten, taken through Old French. See also chaste.

In classic literature

Synonyms

chastise, objurgate, chasten, correct

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
call on the carpet
Narrower (hyponyms)
flame

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