abstergent

[ab-stur-juh nt]

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adjective

noun

a cleansing agent, as a detergent or soap.

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. 2019

Related Words for abstergent

detergent, deodorant, purifier, soap, abrasive, cathartic, suds, polish, antiseptic, purgative, lather, fumigant, scourer, abstergent

British Dictionary definitions for abstergent

abstergent

adjective

cleansing or scouring

Word Origin for abstergent

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