lustrate

1 of 2

verb

lus·​trate ˈlə-ˌstrāt 

lustrated; lustrating

transitive verb

: to purify ceremonially

lustration

ˌlə-ˈstrā-shən 

noun

lustration

2 of 2

noun

lus·​tra·​tion (ˌ)ləˈstrāshən 

plural -s

1

a

: a purificatory ceremony performed as a preliminary to entering a holy place, as a means of removing bloodguiltiness, on the occasion of a birth, marriage, or death, or as a means of ceremonially cleansing a house, a city, army, or a whole people on some special occasion

lustration with water is a prominent feature in Babylonian cult

—W. L. Wardle

b

: an act or instance of cleansing especially by moral or spiritual purification

the lustration of penitents

—Lawrence Durrell

the Deluge as a type of the world's lustration

—F. W. Farrar

c

: an act of washing : ablution

had not lost the … habit of personal lustration

—D. W. Bone

2

archaic : a tour of inspection : survey

have made a last lustration of all my walks and haunts, and taken a long farewell

—Francis Jeffrey

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin lustratus, past participle of lustrare

Noun

Latin lustration-, lustratio, from lustratus + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1653, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lustrate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate