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bowdlerize

Etymology and origin of the English word bowdlerize

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbaʊd.ləˌɹaɪz/ (UK); /ˈbaʊd.ləɹˌaɪz/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It was formed from the name of Thomas Bowdler (1754–1825),[2][3][4][5] an English editor who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare in 1818,[2][3][6] with the suffix -ize.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To expurgate a book by leaving out or changing words and passages thought indelicate or offensive (1836).[7][3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

Bowdler's Shakespeare claimed to omit only those words that could not with propriety be read aloud in a family.[6] His name soon became shorthand for prudish censorship,[2][4] and the verb later widened to modifying a text by abridging, simplifying or distorting it.[2][4]

Timeline

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To expurgate a text prudishly by removing or changing passages thought vulgar or offensive.
  2. To change a text by shortening, simplifying or distorting it.

Word family

  • bowdlerism
  • bowdlerizer
  • bowdlerization

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Bowdlerize.” Etymologically, 13 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bowdlerize. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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