Abstersive

//əbˈstɜː(ɹ).sɪv// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something cleansing; detergent; abstergent. archaic

    "[…]the ſtrong abſterſive of ſom heroick magiſtrat[…]"

Adjective
  1. 1
    Cleansing; purging; abstergent.

    "If he cannot digeſt a ſtrong and abſterſive drugge, for to remove his evill, let him at leaſt take a lenitive pill to eaſe the ſame."

Example

More examples

"If he cannot digeſt a ſtrong and abſterſive drugge, for to remove his evill, let him at leaſt take a lenitive pill to eaſe the ſame."

Etymology

From Middle French abstersif, from Latin abstersus.

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