ablution
UK /əˈbluː.ʃn̩/ · US /əˈblu.ʃn̩/ noun
Forms ablutions
- noun (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.
- noun The act of washing or cleansing the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite.
- noun (literary or humorous, usually in the plural) Washing oneself; bathing, cleaning oneself up.
- noun (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.
- noun (Islam) wudu, ritual washing of the limbs and head performed immediately before prayer or holding the Quran
- noun The liquid used in the cleansing or ablution.
- noun (Eastern Orthodoxy) The ritual consumption by the deacon or priest of leftover sacred wine of host after the Communion.
- noun (plural only, UK, military) The location or building where the showers and basins are located.
Etymology
From 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”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of washing or cleansing; specifically, the washing of the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite.
- noun The water used in cleansing. "Cast the ablutions in the main." Pope.
Etymology [L. ablutio, fr. abluere: cf. F. ablution. See Abluent.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ablution”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details