1100-1200Anglo-Frenchpurgatorie, from Latinpurgatus, past participle of purgare; ➔ PURGE1
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
The island was turned into a purgatory for slaves before they were sold.
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Christina believed she was released from the afterlife to pray for the souls in purgatory.
In stark contrast to such kindness and understanding was my purgatory at work.
McCree suffered in an employment purgatory.
On some, the soul in purgatory peeps from a bowl of flame.
She landed on the altar and spoke of her journey through heaven, hell, purgatory, and back.
The idea of being marooned at Balmoral for months on end is her vision of purgatory.
This was purgatory, worse than anything she'd faced in her life.
1[uncountable] something that makes you suffer – used humorously: Sewing is relaxation for some, purgatory for others.2Purgatory in Roman Catholic belief, a place where the souls of dead people suffer until they are pure enough to enter heaven—purgatorial /ˌpɜːɡəˈtɔːriəl◂ $ ˌpɜːr-/ adjective