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mouthwash

[mouth-wawsh, -wosh]
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noun
  1. a solution, often containing antiseptic, astringent, and breath-sweetening agents, used for cleansing the mouth and teeth, and for gargling.
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Origin of mouthwash

First recorded in 1830–40; mouth + wash
Also called collutory, collutorium.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mouthwash

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Philippa demanded, as she mixed salt and water for a mouthwash.

    Chivalry

    James Branch Cabell

  • He looked as though someone had put aluminum hydrogen sulfate in his mouthwash.

    A Spaceship Named McGuire

    Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for mouthwash

mouthwash

noun
  1. a medicated aqueous solution, used for gargling and for cleansing the mouth
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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

Word Origin and History for mouthwash

n.

also mouth-wash, 1840, from mouth (n.) + wash (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
mouthwash in Medicine

mouthwash

(mouth′wŏsh′)
n.
  1. A medicated liquid for cleaning the mouth and treating diseased mucous membranes.collutory
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.