Overpurify

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To purify to an excessive degree, potentially removing beneficial elements along with impurities
2. To subject a substance to a purification process too thorough, risking the loss of desired properties
3. To cleanse something so excessively that it may inadvertently become less effective or useful

Etymology: "Overpurify" is a straightforward formation: the prefix "over-", meaning "excessively" or "too much", attached to "purify". "Purify" comes from Latin "purificare", built from "purus" ("pure, clean") and "facere" ("to make"), so the literal sense is "to make pure." English took the base word through Old French "purifier" in the late Middle Ages, and the Latin-derived verb has long carried both a physical sense of cleaning and a moral or religious sense of removing sin or corruption. The prefix does the real work here. English has long been productive in forming "over-" verbs such as "overcook" or "overwork," where the action is carried past the point of usefulness. "Overpurify" follows that pattern, and its meaning is transparent from its parts: a process of purification pushed so far that it strips away something the thing needed. Its use is most common in technical and scientific writing, such as discussions of water treatment or of chemical processes, where removing every trace of a substance can remove beneficial minerals or useful components.

Synonyms: excessively purify