Objurgate is a verb that means to harshly criticize.
The Latin word objugare (obe joo GARE ay) means ‘abuse’ or ‘rebuke.’ This word was imported into English in the early 17th century and has maintained the same basic meaning.
I often find myself in a position where I have to objurgate my students for their work habits. Harsh criticism, although not everybody’s favorite method, works very well.
