Detox
/ˈdiː.tɒks/noun
A process of removing toxic substances from the body or a system.
Did you know?Unlike words such as “disaster” or “nightmare,” detox is not ancient magic-language; it’s a 20th-century shortening of “detoxification,” built from Latin roots meaning “to make less poisonous.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
toxikon
“poison for arrows, later poison in general”
Late Latin
Latin
toxicum
“poison”
Latin
Latin
toxicus
“poisonous, venomous”
19th Century
English
detoxification
“the process of removing poison or rendering something less toxic”
20th Century
English
detox
“shortened form of detoxification; a process of cleansing the body of toxins”
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