Ablucioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of washing the body or cleansing oneself as a religious rite ; the wine and water used to rinse the chalice after Communion
2. A ceremonial cleansing of the body performed as part of worship ; the liquid poured over the sacred vessels to rinse them after the Eucharist
3. Washing oneself in a ritual or devout manner ; the rinsing liquid of wine and water that a priest consumes or pours after Communion

Etymology: Middle English "ablucioun" comes from Latin "ablutio", meaning a washing away, formed from "abluere" ("to wash off", from "ab-" "away" plus "luere" "to wash"). The Latin root also gave English "lotion" and "lave," which show the same washing idea. The word entered English in Middle English, borrowed through Old French or directly from Latin, and in religious writing it came to mean the ritual washing used in liturgy, most notably the washing of the priest's hands and the chalice at Mass. Over time the sense broadened from the ritual act to any cleansing of the body in a sacred or devotional setting.