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abstergent

[ab-stur-juh nt]
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adjective
  1. cleansing.
  2. purgative.
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noun
  1. a cleansing agent, as a detergent or soap.
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Origin of abstergent

1605–15; < Latin abstergent-, stem of abstergēns, present participle of abstergēre to wipe off, equivalent to abs- abs- + tergēre to wipe; see -ent
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for abstergent

abstergent

adjective
  1. cleansing or scouring
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin abstergent-, abstērgens wiping off, from abs- away, off + tergēre to wipe
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