Word of the Day

Wednesday July 15, 2009

castigate [KAS-tuh-gayt]

transitive verb

But critics, most notably I.B.M., castigate H.P. as more or less the dull grunt of the tech world that has doubled down on humdrum, low-profit businesses. If years of price wars for parts and infrastructure services ensue, H.P. will face serious pressure on the cost structure it has worked so hard to achieve.

Ashlee Vance, "Does H.P. Need a Dose Of Anarchy?", New York Times, Apr 26, 2009
It later occurred to me that we would have a more honest public interaction on race if we would be willing to publicly monitor and criticize people with whom we are aligned with the same fervor that we publicly castigate our adversaries.

David Fryson, "Courage needed on race", The Charleston Gazette, Mar 12, 2009
If Gerald caught her climbing a fence instead of walking half a mile to a gate, or sitting too late on the front steps with a beau, he castigated her personally and with vehemence, but he did not mention the fact to Ellen or to Mammy.

Margaret Mitchell (1900 - 1949) an American Pulitzer Prize winning author. Gone with the Wind (1936)

Origin of the Word

Castigate, approximately 1607, derives from Latin castigatus past participle of castigare "to purify, chastise," from castus "pure".