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abstergent

American  
[ab-stur-juhnt] / æbˈstɜr dʒənt /

adjective

  1. cleansing.

  2. purgative.

noun

  1. a cleansing agent, as a detergent or soap.

abstergent British  
/ əbˈstɜːdʒənt /

adjective

  1. cleansing or scouring

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of abstergent

1605–15; < Latin abstergent-, stem of abstergēns, present participle of abstergēre to wipe off, equivalent to abs- abs- + tergēre to wipe; -ent

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A substance used in cleansing; a detergent; as, soap is an abstergent.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.