Meaning

noun the act of clearing yourself (or another) from some stigma or charge

noun an act of removing by cleansing; ridding of sediment or other undesired elements

noun an abrupt or sudden removal of a person or group from an organization or place

originFrom Middle English purgen, from Old French purgier, from Latin pūrgō (“to make pure, to cleanse”), from pūrus (“clean, pure”) + agō (“to make, to do”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0