expiatory

comparative more expiatory · superlative most expiatory

1. Of or pertaining to expiation.

   18 January 1549, Hugh Latimer, Sermon of the Plough They would have us saved by a daily oblation propitiatory; by a sacrifice expiatory, or remissory.

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   As a case history, “Lolita” will become, no doubt, a classic in psychiatric circles. As a work of art, it transcends its expiatory aspects; and still more important to us than scientific significance and literary worth, is the ethical impact the book should have on the serious reader; for in this poignant personal study there lurks a general lesson; the wayward child, the egotistic mother, the panting maniac - these are not only vivid characters in a unique story: they warn us of dangerous trends; they point out potent evils.

   1955 September 15, Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita, Paris: The Olympia Press […], →OCLC