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)

(transitive) To free from dirt; to clean, to purify.
- 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist‎, 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.
(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 960103045, 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: [...]
(transitive) To remove (something seen as unpleasant) from a person, place, or thing.

Translations

to clean, purify

Breton: glanaat (br)
Bulgarian: изчиствам (bg) (izčistvam), почиствам (bg) (počistvam)
Chinese: 清洗 (zh) (qīngxǐ)
Czech: očistit se, očistit 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)
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: נטהר‎ (nithár)
Italian: purificare (it)
Japanese: 浄化する
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)

An act of cleansing; a purification.
I regularly visit the spa for a massage and a facial cleanse.
Synonym: cleansing

Translations

purification, cleansing

German: Reinigung (de) f

Anagrams

Senecal, canelés, elances, enlaces, enscale, scalene