Mid 16th century; earliest use found in Richard Taverner (?1505–1575), translator and evangelical reformer. From re- + purge, originally after classical Latin repurgāre to make clean, cleanse, to clarify (the sight), to obtain by cleansing or refinement, to free from obstructions, to purge away (persons from a list), in post-classical Latin also to refute (late 2nd cent. in Tertullian), to expurgate, correct (text, books).