lustrate
5 synonyms for lustrate, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To ritually cleanse or renew something, sometimes with an offering, or, historically, the Roman censor's ceremony held every five years to purify the city after a census.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. verb
To ritually cleanse or renew something, sometimes with an offering, or, historically, the Roman censor's ceremony held every five years to purify the city after a census.
Etymology
From Latin lustrātus (“lustrated”), perfect passive participle of lustrō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from lustrum (“ritual purification”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), q.v. In reference to imparting luster, further via senses of Middle French lustre, from Old Italian lustro.
Full origin of lustrate →