bowdlerize

"Bowdlerize" means to remove parts of a text considered vulgar or objectionable, often to make it suitable for a wider audience, particularly children. This practice is named after Thomas Bowdler, an English editor who published an expurgated version of Shakespeare's plays in 1818, aiming to remove offensive content. The term is now commonly used pejoratively to describe the act of censoring or modifying works. For example, a "bowdlerized" version of Gulliver's Travels might omit passages deemed inappropriate for children.1234