ablution
/əˈbluːʃ(ə)n
/noun (usually ablutions) formal or humorous
1An act of washing oneself: the women performed their ablutions...
- Our daily lives are being planned around when we can perform our ablutions and eat; an army-style shower is now becoming our treat du jour.
- On the wires overhead a cheerful community of young swallows were chattering and performing their evening ablutions, stretching one wing out at a time, as far as it would reach, and preening the feathers.
- When he works in Hampshire, he has to get out of bed at 0530, perform the necessary ablutions, down a coffee and leave the house at 0600.
Synonyms
washing, cleansing, bathing, showering, scrubbing, purification;
wash, bath, shower, toilet, soak, dip, douche
rare lavage, lavation
1.1A ceremonial act of washing parts of the body or sacred containers.She would have been down there taking a ceremonial ablution and praying to the river god Hapi, who was also the god of fertility....
- He may practice Divine knowledge, meditation, pilgrimages, and ablutions.
- He applied sandal paste on his forehead and wore the sacred thread across his body and was rigorous in the ablutions before prayers.
1.2 (the ablutions) British (In army slang) a building or room containing washing facilities and toilets.There are taps for the men's ablutions - and an escape tunnel which opens near a ditch to allow the men a speedy getaway....
- The Bog Standard Campaign was launched to rid schools of rundown ablutions which campaigners say are not just unpleasant, but also affect learning.
- There has been no… maintenance done to any of the ablutions.
Derivatives
ablutionary
- The tombs stand on the same platform as a white mosque and virtually in its forecourt, separated from it only by the obligatory ablutionary pond reflecting both the tombs and the mosque.
- This invention concerns water outlets such as shower heads and water spouts for ablutionary devices or appliances.
- On the wedding morning, various ablutionary rituals are performed on both the bride and the groom in their own homes.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin ablutio(n-), from abluere, from ab- 'away' + luere 'wash'. The original use was as a term in chemistry and alchemy meaning 'purification by using liquids', hence 'purification of the body by washing' (mid 16th century).
Rhymes
- systemization
- systemize
- systemizer
- systemless
- system operator
- system program
- system programer
- system programmer
- system programming
- systems administrator
- systems analysis
- systems analyst
- systems design
- systems designer
- systems engineer
- systems engineering
- systems integrator
- system software
- systems program
- systems programer
- systems programmer
- systems programming
- systems software
- system-structure
- system tray