Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To wash or wipe off (a wound, for example); cleanse.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To cleanse; clear away foul or offensive matter from, as from the body or from a wound or ulcer.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To cleanse; to purge away, as foul or offending matter from the body, or from an ulcer.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
clean ofundesirable material
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb wipe away; to wash off or out, cleanse; chiefly in medical use: to clear away foul matter from the body
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[French déterger, from Latin dētergēre : dē-, de- + tergēre, to wipe.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Latin dētergēre, from dē- + tergēre.
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Examples
-
Molière's Le Malade Imaginaire we find catharsis pre - sented in a farcical situation: Clysterium donare, Postea seignare, Ensuita purgare (“With a clyster deterge, then let the blood spurge, and finally purge”).
CATHARSIS TEDDY BRUNIUS 1968
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In order to prevent infection, it is necessary to properly deterge and disinfect the wound.
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