cleanse

English

Etymology

From Old English clǣnsian, from Proto-West Germanic *klainisōną, from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (“clean”). Cognate with archaic Dutch kleinzen (“to clean; to purify”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klɛnz/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnz

Verb

cleanse (third-person singular simple present cleanses, present participle cleansing, simple past and past participle cleansed)

1. (transitive) To free from dirt; to clean, to purify.
   • 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist‎^[1], volume 407, number 8838, page 5 (Technology Quarterly):

     An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.

2. (transitive) To spiritually purify; to free from guilt or sin; to purge.
   • 1626, William Methold [i.e., William Methwold], “Relations of the Kingdome of Golchonda, and Other Neighbouring Nations within the Gulfe of Bengala, Arreccan, Pegu, Tennassery, &c. […]”, in [Samuel] Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimes. […], 5th part, London: […] William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, […], →OCLC, page 993:

     [T]he famous Ganges: whoſe vnknowne head, pleaſant ſtreames, and long extent, haue amongſt thoſe Heathen Inhabitants, (by the Tradition of their Forefathers) gained a beliefe of clenſing all ſuch ſinnes, as the bodies of thoſe that waſh therein brought with them: [...]

3. (transitive) To remove (something seen as unpleasant) from a person, place, or thing.

Derived terms

• cleansable
• cleanser
• recleanse
• uncleanse

 

Translations

to clean, purify

• Breton: glanaat (br)
• Bulgarian: изчиствам (bg) (izčistvam), почиствам (bg) (počistvam)
• Chinese: 清洗 (zh) (qīngxǐ) (qīngxǐ)
• Czech: očistit se, očistit (cs) pf, pročistit pf
• Dutch: reinigen (nl), schoonmaken (nl)
• Finnish: puhdistaa (fi)
• German: reinigen (de), säubern (de)
• Gothic: 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hrainjan)
• Greek:

  Ancient: καθαρίζω (katharízō), καθαίρω (kathaírō), ἁγνίζω (hagnízō)

• Hebrew: איבק (ibék)
• Italian: ripulire (it), pulire (it), purificare (it), detergere (it)
• Japanese: 浄化する (Jōka suru), 清める (Kiyomeru)
• Korean: 씻다 (ko) (ssitda)
• Latin: abluō, mundo, luo
• Old English: clǣnsian, fǣlsian
• Polish: oczyścić (pl)
• Portuguese: limpar (pt)
• Russian: очищать (ru) (očiščatʹ)
• Sanskrit: क्षिपति (sa) (kṣipati), पवयति (pavayati)
• Spanish: limpiar (es), lavar (es), purificar (es), depurar (es)
• Thai: ชำระ (th) (cham-rá), ล้าง (th) (láang)

to spiritually purify

• Bulgarian: пречиствам (bg) (prečistvam)
• Czech: očistit se
• Finnish: puhdistaa (fi)
• French: purifier (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: καθαρίζω (katharízō), ἁγνίζω (hagnízō)

• Hebrew: טיהר (tihér)
• Italian: purificare (it)
• Japanese: 浄化する
• Korean: 정화하다 (jeonghwahada)
• Maore Comorian: utwaharisha
• Polish: oczyścić (pl)
• Portuguese: purificar (pt)
• Russian: очищать (ru) (očiščatʹ)
• Sanskrit: पवयति (pavayati)
• Spanish: purificar (es)
• Thai: ชำระ (th) (cham-rá), ล้าง (th) (láang)

Noun

cleanse (plural cleanses)

1. An act of cleansing; a purification.

   Synonym: cleansing

   I regularly visit the spa for a massage and a facial cleanse.

Translations

purification, cleansing

• German: Reinigung (de) f

Anagrams

• Senecal, canelés, elances, enlaces, enscale, scalene