Ablution
/əˈbluː.ʃən/noun
The act of washing oneself or a body part, especially as a ritual cleansing.
Did you know?Ablution comes from Latin *abluere*, literally “to wash away,” and in religious traditions it often signaled not just cleanliness but purification before contact with the sacred.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leu-
“to wash, cleanse”
Latin
Latin
abluere
“to wash away, cleanse”
Late Latin
Latin
ablutio
“a washing away; cleansing”
Old French
Old French
ablucion
“washing, cleansing”
14th Century
English
ablucion
“ritual washing; cleansing”
Modern English
English
ablution
“the act of washing oneself or a part of the body”