ablution /əˈblo͞oSHən/ I. noun — (usu. ablutions) 1. the act of washing oneself (often used for humorously formal effect) • the women performed their ablutions. 2. a ceremonial act of washing parts of the body or sacred containers. II. derivatives ablutionary adjective – 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 cent).
