ablution

American  

[uh-bloo-shuhn] / əˈblu ʃən /

noun

1. a cleansing with water or other liquid, especially as a religious ritual.

2. the liquid thus used.

3. Usually ablutions a washing of the hands, body, etc.

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ablution British  

/ əˈbluːʃən /

noun

1. the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels

2. (often plural) the act of washing (esp in the phrase perform one's ablutions )

3. informal (plural) military a washing place

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• ablutionary
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ablution

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin ablūtiōn- (stem of ablūtiō ), equivalent to ablūt ( us ), past participle of abluere ( see abluent) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

An ablution is a washing or a cleaning of oneself, for personal hygiene, or a ritual washing or cleaning associated with religious observance. The word ablution comes from the Latin abluere, meaning "to wash away." Back in the Middle Ages this term referred to the use of liquids for purification in chemistry; it later took on religious meaning. All the major religions have some rituals of purification. Examples include the washing of the hands or feet, and the cleansing of sacred containers or other objects.

Example Sentences

I say that because you need Ablution, being burned?

From The Man Against the Sky by Robinson, Edwin Arlington

Reasons for a Daily Ablution of the whole Body.

From A Treatise on Domestic Economy For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School by Beecher, Catharine Esther

Ablution, ab-lōō′shun, n. act of washing, esp. the body, preparatory to religious rites: any ceremonial washing, symbolic of moral purification: the wine and water used to rinse the chalice, drunk by the officiating priest.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

Ablution and sanitary arrangements are grouped together on the basement floors.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

Then, descending to the sea, Neck, thighs, and legs from sweat profuse they cleansed, And, so refresh'd and purified, their last Ablution in bright tepid baths perform'd.

From The Iliad of Homer Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper by Cowper, William