Word of the Day

: March 19, 2007

ablution

noun uh-BLOO-shun

What It Means

1 a : the washing of one's body or part of it (as in a religious rite)

b : the act or action of bathing

2 : a building housing bathing and toilet facilities on a military base

ablution in Context

The river that flowed past the campsite had a secluded nook where we could take care of our ablutions in privacy.

Did You Know?

"Ablution" derives via Middle French and Middle English from the Latin verb "abluere," meaning "to wash away," formed from the prefix "ab-" ("away, off") and "lavere" ("to wash"). Early uses of the word occurred in contexts of alchemy and chemistry. It was first used of washing as a religious rite by Thomas More in The Apologye Made by Hym (1533). Many religions include some kind of washing of the body in their rituals, usually as a form of purification or dedication. The use of the term to refer to the action of washing one's body without any religious significance did not take hold in English until the mid-18th century.

*Indicates the sense illustrated by the example sentence.