castigare

to punish

verb kah-stee-GAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin 'castigare' (to correct, chastise).

Also means

to chastise

Usage Note

Castigare is more formal and literary than the everyday punire. It carries a moral or corrective nuance, often suggesting punishment meant to reform. It takes avere as the auxiliary: ha castigato il figlio. In older usage it also meant 'to correct a text', a sense now mostly archaic.

Examples

"I genitori hanno castigato il bambino per la bugia."

Natural Translation

The parents punished the child for the lie.

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