mouthwash

[mouth-wawsh, -wosh]

noun

a solution, often containing antiseptic, astringent, and breath-sweetening agents, used for cleansing the mouth and teeth, and for gargling.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for mouthwash

Contemporary Examples of mouthwash

If you have bad breath, gingivitis or periodontitis …A probiotic lozenge or mouthwash might be your best bet.
How to Choose the Right Probiotic for You
DailyBurn
May 16, 2014
At The Keating Hotel in San Diego, there were little branded bottles of mouthwash in the bathrooms.
Gordon Ramsay: 7 Hotel Horrors!
Gordon Ramsay
August 9, 2012

Historical Examples of mouthwash

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

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

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

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

mouthwash in Medicine

mouthwash

[mouth′wŏsh′]

n.

A medicated liquid for cleaning the mouth and treating diseased mucous membranes.collutory