castigate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb censure severely
    objurgate; chastise; chasten; correct.
    • She chastised him for his insensitive remarks
  2. verb inflict severe punishment on

WordNet

Cas"ti*gate transitive verb
Etymology
L. castigatus, p. p. of castigare to correct, punish; castus pure, chaste + agere to move, drive. See Caste, and cf. Chasten.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Castigated; present participle & verbal noun Castigating
Definitions
  1. To punish by stripes; to chastise by blows; to chasten; also, to chastise verbally; to reprove; to criticise severely.
  2. To emend; to correct. Obs.

Webster 1913