I. ˈwȯsh, ˈwäsh, chiefly Midland also ˈwȯrsh or ˈwärsh verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wascan; akin to Old High German waskan to wash and perhaps to Old English wæter water
Date: before 12th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cleanse by or as if by the action of liquid (as water)
b. : to remove (as dirt) by rubbing or drenching with liquid
2. : to cleanse (fur) by licking or by rubbing with a paw moistened with saliva
3.
a. : to flush or moisten (a bodily part or injury) with a liquid
b.
(1) : to wet thoroughly : drench
(2) : to overspread with light : suffuse
c. : to pass a liquid (as water) over or through especially so as to carry off material from the surface or interior
4. : to flow along or dash or overflow against
waves wash ing the shore
5. : to move, carry, or deposit by or as if by the force of water in motion
houses wash ed away by the flood
6.
a. : to subject (as crushed ore) to the action of water to separate valuable material
b. : to separate (particles) from a substance (as ore) by agitation with or in water
c.
(1) : to pass through a bath to carry off impurities or soluble components
(2) : to pass (a gas or gaseous mixture) through or over a liquid to purify it especially by removing soluble components
7.
a. : to cover or daub lightly with or as if with an application of a thin liquid (as whitewash or varnish)
b. : to depict or paint by a broad sweep of thin color with a brush
8. : to cause to swirl
wash ing coffee around in his cup
9. : launder 3
how the mob wash es its money through corrupt bankers — Vincent Teresa
intransitive verb
1. : to wash oneself or a part of one's body
2. : to become worn away by the action of water
3. : to clean something by rubbing or dipping in water
4.
a. : to become carried along on water : drift
cakes of ice wash ing along
b. : to pour, sweep, or flow in a stream or current
waves of pioneers wash ing westward — Green Peyton
5. : to serve as a cleansing agent
this soap wash es thoroughly
6.
a. : to undergo laundering
this dress doesn't wash well
b.
(1) : to undergo testing successfully : work 4
an interesting theory, but it just won't wash
(2) : to gain acceptance : inspire belief
the story didn't wash with me
•
- wash one's hands of
II. noun
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : a piece of ground washed by the sea or river
b. : bog , marsh
c.
(1) : a shallow body of water
(2) : a shallow creek
d. West : the dry bed of a stream — called also dry wash
2.
a. : the act or process or an instance of washing or being washed
b. : articles to be washed, being washed, or having been washed
3. : the surging action or sound of waves ; also : something resembling this action or sound
the warm wash of applause that followed her…introduction — John Updike
4.
a. : worthless especially liquid waste : refuse
b. : an insipid beverage
c. : vapid writing or speech
5.
a. : a sweep or splash especially of color made by or as if by a long stroke of a brush
in the gray wash of early morning
b. : a thin coat of paint (as watercolor)
c. : a thin liquid used for coating a surface (as a wall)
6. : lotion
7. : loose or eroded surface material of the earth (as rock debris) transported and deposited by running water
8.
a. : backwash 1
b. : a disturbance in a fluid (as water or the air) produced by the passage of an airfoil or propeller
9. : a situation in which losses and gains or advantages and disadvantages balance each other
III. adjective
Date: 1848
1. : involving essentially simultaneous purchase and sale of the same security
spurious market activity resulting from wash trading
2. : washable
wash fabric