ablution
English
editEtymology
editFrom Middle English ablucioun (“cleansing of impurities”), from Old French ablution, and its source, Late Latin ablūtiō (“a washing away”), from abluō (“wash away”), from ab- (“away”) + lavō (“wash”).[1]
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈbluː.ʃn̩/
- (US) IPA(key): /əˈblu.ʃn̩/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -uːʃən
Noun
editablution (countable and uncountable, plural ablutions)
- The act of washing something.
- (chemistry) Originally, the purifying of oils and other substances by emulsification with hot water; now more generally, a thorough cleansing of a precipitate or other non-dissolved substance. [First attested from around 1350 to 1470.][2]
- The act of washing or cleansing the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite. [From mid 16th century.][2]
- 1786, William Beckford, Vathek; an Arabian Tale:
- Let water be brought to perform my ablutions, and let the pious Fakreddin be called to offer up his prayers with mine.
- (literary or humorous, usually in the plural) Washing oneself; bathing, cleaning oneself up. [From mid 18th century.][2]
- 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter II, page 25:
- He followed the steps of Bella, who soon conducted him to his chamber, and left him to those ablutions which a long ride along a sandy road had rendered particularly necessary.
- 2005, J. M. Coetzee, “Four”, in Slow Man, New York: Viking, →ISBN, page 28:
- She treats him not as a doddering old fool but as a man hampered in his movements by injury. Patiently, without baby-talk, she helps him through his ablutions.
- (Western Christianity) The rinsing of the priest's hand and the sacred vessel following the Communion with, depending on rite, water or a mix of it and wine, which may then be drunk by the priest. [from 17th c.]
- The liquid used in the cleansing or ablution. [From early 18th century.][2]
- 1715–1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “(please specify the book of the Iliad or chapter quoted from)”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:
- Cast the ablutions in the main
- (Eastern Orthodoxy) The ritual consumption by the deacon or priest of leftover sacred wine of host after the Communion.
- (plural only, UK, military) The location or building where the showers and basins are located. [From mid 20th century.][2]
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editthe act of washing or cleansing
|
the water used in cleansing
Roman Catholic Church: a small quantity of wine and water
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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References
edit- ^ Elliott K. Dobbie, C. William Dunmore, Robert K. Barnhart, et al. (editors), Chambers Dictionary of Etymology (Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2004 [1998], →ISBN), page 3
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “ablution”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, pages 5-6.
- “ablution”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Anagrams
editFrench
editEtymology
editLearned borrowing from Latin ablūtiōnem.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editablution f (plural ablutions)
- (Western Christianity) Ritual rinsing of the priest's hand; ablution
- (rare) a washing, especially ritual
Usage notes
edit- The various other meanings of the word are usually only used in the plural.
Derived terms
editFurther reading
edit- “ablution”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
editCategories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewh₃-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/uːʃən
- Rhymes:English/uːʃən/3 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Chemistry
- English terms with quotations
- English literary terms
- English humorous terms
- en:Christianity
- en:Eastern Orthodoxy
- English pluralia tantum
- British English
- en:Military
- French terms borrowed from Latin
- French learned borrowings from Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 3-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French feminine nouns
- fr:Christianity
- French terms with rare senses