Purgid

Purgid is an archaic English adjective relating to purgation, especially the use or effect of purgatives—substances that induce evacuation of the bowels or cleanse the digestive tract. In historical medical and pharmacological writing, purgid described medicines or actions that purge, purge-like cleansing, or cleansing through purgation.

Etymology and sense: The term is linked to Latin purgidus, meaning purged or cleansed, stemming from purg- (to purge) with a suffix that formed adjectives. English usage entered through early modern medical literature, where purgid was used to designate purgative properties or preparations intended to purge the body.

Usage in texts: Purgid appears primarily in historical pharmacopoeias, herbals, and medical treatises. It often occurs in compound phrases such as purgid medicines or purgid draughts, where it functions as an attributive descriptor for substances believed to cleanse or purge.

Modern status: Today purgid is rarely used outside scholarly or historical contexts. In contemporary English, purgative or laxative are the standard terms for substances that induce purging, while purgation remains the general act. Purgid survives mainly as a linguistic artifact in discussions of old medical literature or in etymological notes on purgation-related vocabulary. See also purgation, purgative, laxative.