Cleanser

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A substance used to remove dirt, oil, or impurities from skin or various surfaces
2. A solution or compound designed for cleansing the skin or cleaning household items
3. An agent applied to clean the epidermis or other materials by eliminating grime and contaminants

Etymology: "Cleanser" is a plain formation: the verb "cleanse" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one that does the cleansing. The verb "cleanse" goes back to Old English "clǣnsian," from "clǣne," meaning clean, so the word is an old English root wearing a Middle English ending. The noun itself appeared in Middle English in forms such as "clansere," "clenser," and "clensere," which shows how spelling was still settling when the word was first written down. Those early forms referred to a person or thing that purified or removed impurity, the sense the modern word keeps when it names a product applied to skin.

Synonyms: cleaner, detergent, solvent, purifier, disinfectant

Antonyms: contaminant, pollutant, stain, dirt, impurity