Word of the Day

: March 31, 2024

expiate

verb EK-spee-ayt

What It Means

Expiate is a formal word that typically means “to atone or make amends for something, such as a sin or offense.”

// Although the editorial had characterized the mayor's failure to disclose the details of the meeting as a lapse that could not be expiated, many of the city's citizens seemed ready to forgive all.

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expiate in Context

“Godzilla has long been seen as a symbolic representation of the nuclear devastation that Japan suffered, and that theme is evident here as well. But Godzilla Minus One adds a more personal dimension in the form of Koichi’s lingering trauma; the only way he thinks he’ll be able to expiate his guilt is by destroying the monster.” — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023

Did You Know?

If you need to expiate something—that is, to atone for it—it’s sure to be something you recognize you shouldn’t have done. People expiate crimes, sins, transgressions, and the like in various ways, such as by apologizing or trying to undo damage they’ve caused. The word comes from the Latin verb expiare (“to atone for”), a combination of ex- and piare, which itself means “to atone for” as well as “to appease.” (Piare comes from pius, meaning “faithful, pious.”) The current use of expiate dates to the early 1600s, and in the early 1500s expiate could mean something else entirely: “to put an end to.” Shakespeare used it this way in Sonnet 22: “But when in thee time’s furrows I behold, / Then look I death my days should expiate.” Later, expiate was a synonym of avert, as in this biblical prophecy: “Disaster shall fall upon you, which you will not be able to expiate” (Isaiah 47:11, RSV). Vestiges of these literary uses still cling to the word, which is most often found in formal, quasi-literary contexts.