expunger (ekspunjer)

One who expunges; specifically, in U. S. hist., one of those senators who in 1837 were in favor of expunging from the journal of the Senate a resolution pa ed by it in 1834 censuring President Jackson. The expungers had the numbers; but the talent, the eloquence, the moral power, "not an unequal match for numbers," were arrayed against them. N. Sargent , Public Men, I. 339. expurgate (eks-pèr'gāt or eks'per-gāt), v. t.; pret. and pp. expurgated , ppr. expurgating . [ expurgatus , pp. of expurgare (> It. espurgare , spurgare = Sp. Pg. expurgar = Pr. espurgar , espurjar = F. expurger ), purge, cleanse, purify, ex , out, + purgare , purge, cleanse: see purge .] To purge; cleanse; remove anything obnoxious, offensive, or erroneous from; specifically, to free from what is objectionable on moral or religious grounds: as, to expurgate a book; an expurgated edition of Shakspere. He [Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury] shocked the prejudices of the vulgar by expurgating from the English calendar names of saints dear to the natives, but not accredited on the continent. Stillé , Stud. Med. Hist., p. 228. One who conquers expurgation (eks-pér-ga's hon), n. He will prove Of the yet taintle fortre of Byron A quick expugner , and a strong abider. Chapman , Byron's Conspiracy, i. 1.