deterge

[ dih-turj ]
See synonyms for deterge on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),de·terged, de·terg·ing.
  1. to wipe or wash away; cleanse.

  2. to cleanse of impurities or undesirable matter, as a wound.

Origin of deterge

1
First recorded in1615–25; from French déterger, from Latin dētergēre “to wipe off,” equivalent to dē- prefix indicating removal + tergēre “to wipe”; see origin at de-

Other words from deterge

  • de·ter·gen·cy, noun

Words Nearby deterge

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British Dictionary definitions for deterge

deterge

/ (dɪˈtɜːdʒ) /


verb
  1. (tr) to wash or wipe away; cleanse: to deterge a wound

Origin of deterge

1
C17: from Latin dētergēre to wipe away, from de- + tergēre to wipe

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