Cleansing

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈklɛn.zɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of removing dirt, stains, or impurities from something ; a ceremonial act intended to purify a person or place spiritually
2. The process of making something clean by eliminating contaminants or unwanted substances ; a religious or cultural practice to achieve spiritual cleanliness
3. Purification by washing away physical grime or pollutants ; a ritual performed to cleanse and sanctify according to tradition or belief

Etymology: "Cleansing" is simply the -ing form of "cleanse," so its story is really the story of the verb. "Cleanse" comes from Old English "clǣnsian," which grew out of the Proto-West Germanic "klainisōn," itself built on the adjective "clean" (Proto-West Germanic "klainī"). In other words, the verb was formed by adding a verb-making ending to the adjective, so to cleanse originally meant to make something clean. The clearest trace of that link is in the sister languages. West Frisian has "klinzgje," and the older Dutch "kleinzen" meant "to clean" or "to purify," while Middle Low German had "klênsen" and "kleinsen" with the same sense. These relatives show that the root was shared across the North Sea coastal languages long before English had its own form. Because "cleanse" is a native Germanic verb rather than a borrowing, "cleansing" carries the older, everyday sense of making something clean, which is why it still sounds plain and physical today.

Synonyms: purifying, cleaning, sanitizing, sterilizing, refining

Antonyms: contaminating, dirtying, polluting, tainting, soiling