Bowdlerize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbaʊd.ləˌɹaɪz/

Definitions

1. To edit a literary text by censoring or modifying content considered inappropriate or offensive
2. The process of altering a written work to exclude or soften elements that may be deemed unacceptable or harsh
3. To revise a written work by eliminating or changing parts thought to be offensive or unsuitable

Etymology: Thomas Bowdler was an English physician who spent years expurgating Shakespeare so that it could be read aloud in a family. His edition, The Family Shakespeare, appeared in 1818, and he removed words and expressions that, in his view, could not properly be spoken in front of women and children. Bowdler did not coin the verb himself; the word grew from his name, formed in English by adding the suffix "-ize" to "Bowdler," which turned a surname into an action: to clean a text by cutting what offends. The irony is that Bowdler's name became a verb while his own editorial method was mocked in his lifetime and afterwards. Each time someone trims a book, film, or speech to make it acceptable, the act is credited to a physician who, in 1818, set out to make Shakespeare safe for the family hearth.

Synonyms: censor, edit, sanitize

Antonyms: uncover, reveal