Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To punish or rebuke severely. synonym: punish.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To chastise; punish by stripes; correct or punish, in general.
  • To subject to a severe and critical scrutiny; criticize for the purpose of correcting; emend: as, to castigate the text of an author.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To punish by stripes; to chastise by blows; to chasten; also, to chastise verbally; to reprove; to criticise severely.
  • transitive verb obsolete To emend; to correct.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To punish severely; to criticize severely; to reprimand severely.
  • verb To revise or make corrections to a publication.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb censure severely
  • verb inflict severe punishment on

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin castīgāre, castīgāt-, from castus, pure; see kes- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Early 17th cent., from Latin castīgātus, past participle of castīgō ("I reprove"), from castus ("pure, chaste"), from Proto-Indo-European *kesa (“cut”) .

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Examples

  • In your latest, you again castigate Reichert and give a little praise to Darcy, but very little substance.

    Sound Politics: Seattle Times Q&A with Dave Reichert 2006

  • Headmaster Fuess was no doubt familiar with a type of teacher who is far rarer now than during the era in which he taught, and which he describes here in a passage featuring the word castigate (KA stuh gayt), a harsh-sounding word that comes from the same Latin root as chastise, and means to criticize or punish severely, especially by harsh public criticism.

    Visual Thesaurus : Online Edition 2009

  • Chastise, as well as castigate, comes from the Latin castigare, which adds the force of -igare, or agere, “to drive,” to the purifying.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • Chastise, as well as castigate, comes from the Latin castigare, which adds the force of -igare, or agere, “to drive,” to the purifying.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • Chastise, as well as castigate, comes from the Latin castigare, which adds the force of -igare, or agere, “to drive,” to the purifying.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • Chastise, as well as castigate, comes from the Latin castigare, which adds the force of -igare, or agere, “to drive,” to the purifying.

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

  • When you hear these folks, it doesn't matter what side of the debate they're on who are willing to kind of castigate somebody who may have a good idea, stand up and let them have it.

    CNN Transcript May 18, 2001 2001

  • He said the ANC regarded the support expressed by local clergymen as "a critical solidarity" and expected church leaders to "castigate" the party from the pulpit if it proved dishonest or failed to show respect for human dignity.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 1994

  • You should not castigate Lara Logan because she's an "attractive blonde female reporter."

    Shannon Galpin: What's Blonde Got to Do With It? Shannon Galpin 2011

  • You should not castigate Lara Logan because she s an attractive blonde female reporter.

    Shannon Galpin: What's Blonde Got to Do With It? Shannon Galpin 2011

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