English
ablution
Ablution comes from Late Latin ablūtiō ‘a washing away’, from Latin lavō ‘to wash, cleanse’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewh₃-‘to wash’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lowō‘to wash’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElavō‘to wash, cleanse’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEabluō‘wash away’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEablūtiō‘a washing away’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400ablution
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ablucioun‘cleansing of impurities’
- Englishearliest quotation 1715–1720ablution
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewh₃-‘to wash’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lowō‘to wash’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElavō‘to wash, cleanse’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEabluō‘wash away’
- Late Latin, derivedc. 200–600 CEablūtiō‘a washing away’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400ablution
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ablucioun‘cleansing of impurities’
- Englishearliest quotation 1715–1720ablution
Earliest quotation: 1715–1720, Homer, (please specify the book of the Iliad or chapter quoted from: “Cast the ablutions in the main”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- ‘to wash’
laundry, lavish, lather, lye, latrine, solute, lavage, 14 more
through Latin lavō ‘to wash, cleanse’
lavatory, deluge, launder, alluvial, laver, lave, diluent, 9 more
Today it means
noun Originally, the purifying of oils and other substances by emulsification with hot water; now more generally, a thorough cleansing of a precipitate or other non-dissolved substance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewh₃- / ablution