Wordfilter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A program or list that scans text and blocks or replaces words considered offensive, banned, or unwanted
2. Software or a rule set that checks written content against prohibited terms and removes or masks matches
3. A mechanism that examines messages or posts for flagged vocabulary and prevents them from being published as written

Etymology: A wordfilter is, quite literally, a filter for words: software that scans text and screens out terms on a list of prohibited ones. The word is a compound of "word" and "filter", two plain English nouns joined together, so there is no hidden Latin or Greek story here. "Filter" itself comes from medieval Latin "filtrum", a piece of felt used to strain liquids, and the idea of straining out what is unwanted carries over neatly into the digital sense. The compound simply describes the job: a filter that works on words rather than on water, dust or light.