ablution
noun
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The Religious History of Ablution
Ablution derives via Middle French and Middle English from the Latin verb abluere, meaning "to wash away," formed from the prefix ab- ("away, off") and lavere ("to wash"). Early uses of the word occurred in contexts of alchemy and chemistry. The first known use of ablution to refer to washing as a religious rite occurs in Thomas More's The Apologye Made by Hym (1533). Many religions include some kind of washing of the body in their rituals, usually as a form of purification or dedication. The use of the term to refer to the action of washing one's body without any religious significance did not take hold in English until the mid-18th century. In British English, ablutions can also refer to a building housing bathing and toilet facilities on a military base.
Example Sentences
Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 22 Mar. 2022 We were trapped in time, in the commodification of flesh, saints without the gift of ablution. Romeo Oriogun, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2021 The mosque used to cover an area of almost 2,000 square meters, with a main hall, a guest hall, and ablution room. Alessandra Cappelletti, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2021 The holiday falls during the hottest part of the year in Thailand, so the water is not only a symbol of ablution but also welcome relief from the heat. al, 13 Apr. 2021 The ablution area covered by blue tiles clearly shows the past presence of a mosque. Alessandra Cappelletti, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2021 The primary bathroom and half-bathrooms offer ablution stations replicated from what is traditionally found in mosques. Dallas News, 27 Sep. 2020 At another, wells and an 8-foot-tall stone basin believed to have been used for ablution by pilgrims coming to give tribute to a pantheon of gods suggest an advanced water management system. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 June 2020 When a Dallas nurse was diagnosed with Ebola in 2014, area churchgoers added ablutions to their handshakes of peace. Dan Zak, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2020 See More Word History
Middle English ablucioun "cleansing of oil (in alchemy)," borrowed from Late Latin ablūtiōn-, ablūtiō "washing, cleansing" (Medieval Latin, "cleansing of oil"), from Latin abluere "to wash off, cleanse," from ab- ab- + -luere, form in combination of lavere "to wash" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns — more at lye
1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
ablution
noun