# ablution
## English
### 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”).

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /əˈbluː.ʃn̩/
* (US) IPA: /əˈblu.ʃn̩/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -uːʃən

### Noun

ablution (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.]
** The act of washing or cleansing the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite. [From mid 16th century.]
*** 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.]
*** 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.
*** 2021 May 6, Maria Cramer, “See Fewer People. Take Fewer Showers.”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:There are now indications that it has caused some Americans to become more spartan when it comes to 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.]
** (Islam) wudu, ritual washing of the limbs and head performed immediately before prayer or holding the Quran
* The liquid used in the cleansing or ablution. [From early 18th century.]
** 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.]

#### Derived terms

* ablution block
* ablutioner

#### Related terms

* abluent
* ablutionary
* ablutive

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### References

* ↑ 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
* 1 2 3 4 5 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

* abutilon, albutoin

## French
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin ablūtiōnem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /a.bly.sjɔ̃/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

ablution f (plural ablutions)
* (Western Christianity) Ritual rinsing of the priest's hand; ablution
* (rare) a washing, especially ritual

#### Usage notes

* The various other meanings of the word are usually only used in the plural.

#### Derived terms

* ablutionner

### Further reading

* “ablution”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* oubliant