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deterge

American  
[dih-turj] / dɪˈtɜrdʒ /

verb (used with object)

deterged, deterging

  1. to wipe or wash away; cleanse.

  2. to cleanse of impurities or undesirable matter, as a wound.

deterge British  
/ dɪˈtɜːdʒ /

verb

  1. (tr) to wash or wipe away; cleanse

    to deterge a wound
"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

Other Word Forms

  • detergency noun

Etymology

Origin of deterge

First recorded in 1615–25; from French déterger, from Latin dētergēre “to wipe off,” equivalent to dē- prefix indicating removal + tergēre “to wipe”; de-

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.