Bowdler

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To remove passages from a written work that are thought to be inappropriate, obscene, or objectionable
2. To edit or censor a text by striking out words or sections deemed offensive, vulgar, or unsuitable for certain readers
3. To expurgate a literary work by deleting material judged to be indecent or morally offensive

Etymology: Thomas Bowdler, the English editor who gave his name to the verb, was not the family's first famous bearer of the name. The surname goes back to the 11th century, when it belonged to a Baldwin de Boelare, a member of a Flemish family from the town of Boelare, now known as Nederboelare. The name reached England in various spellings, including de Boulers, de Bollers and de Bullers, and these variants shifted over time into the form familiar today. Some scholars have suggested an older, occupational origin instead. The name may come from an ancient trade, perhaps connected with "buddle," a North English word meaning to cleanse ore. This explanation is less certain than the Flemish one, and the place-name derivation is the better-attested account.

Synonyms: censor, expurgate