Absterge

//əbˈstɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒ// verb

verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make clean by wiping; to wipe away. archaic, transitive

Etymology

From French and Middle French absterger or from Medieval Latin abstergēre (“wipe off or away”); formed from Latin abs- + tergeō (“to wipe off”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.