[pur-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] 
noun, plural -ries, adjective | 1. | (in the belief of Roman Catholics and others) a condition or place in which the souls of those dying penitent are purified from venial sins, or undergo the temporal punishment that, after the guilt of mortal sin has been remitted, still remains to be endured by the sinner. |
| 2. | (initial capital letter, italics ) Italian, Pur⋅ga⋅to⋅rio [poor-gah-taw-ryaw] . the second part of Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the repentant sinners are depicted. Compare inferno (def. 3), paradise (def. 7). |
| 3. | any condition or place of temporary punishment, suffering, expiation, or the like. |
| 4. | serving to cleanse, purify, or expiate. |
In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the condition of souls of the dead who die with some punishment (though not damnation) due them for their sins. Purgatory is conceived as a condition of suffering and purification that leads to union with God in heaven. Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible; Catholic authorities defend the teaching on purgatory by arguing that prayer for the dead is an ancient practice of Christianity and that this practice assumes that the dead can be in a state of suffering — a state that the living can improve by their prayers.
Note: A “purgatory” is, by extension, any place of suffering, usually for past misdeeds.