1. (n.) The act of purifying; the act or operation of separating and removing from anything that which is impure or noxious, or heterogeneous or foreign to it; as, the purification of liquors, or of metals.

2. (n.) The act or operation of cleansing ceremonially, by removing any pollution or defilement.

3. (n.) A cleansing from guilt or the pollution of sin; the extinction of sinful desires, appetites, and inclinations.

ablation abrasion absolution abstersion abstraction atonement beatification beatitude blessedness blessing bolting bowdlerization canonization catharsis clarification cleaning cleansing colature concentrate concentration consecration decoction dedication deduction destructive distillation detersion devotion disentanglement disinvolvement distillate distillation dry cleaning edulcoration elixir elution elutriation enshrinement erosion essence essentialization exaltation expiation expurgation extract extraction filtering filtration forgiveness glorification grace hallowing infusion justification justification by works leaching lixiviation lustration narrowing percolation purgation purge purging quintessence rebirth redemption refinement regeneration removal riddling sainthood sainting salvation sanctification screening separation setting apart sieving sifting simplification spirit spiritualization state of grace steam cleaning straining streamlining stripping stripping down subduction sublation sublimation subtraction taking away uncluttering unscrambling unsnarling winnowing