I. ˈlȯndə(r), ˈlän-, ˈlȧn-, dial ˈlan- or ˈlaan- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English lander, launder launderer, laundress, alteration of lavender, from Middle French lavandier (masculine) male launderer, lavandiere (feminine) laundress, from Medieval Latin lavandarius (masculine) male launderer, lavandaria (feminine) laundress, from Latin lavandus that needs to be washed (gerundive of lavare to wash) + -arius, -aria -ary — more at lye
: a conduit or trough for water and other liquids: as
a. : a box conduit conveying middlings or tailings suspended in water in ore dressing
b. : a refractory trough conveying molten metal
c. : a usually movable wooden trough into which water is run or pumped while engineering construction work is carried on
II. verb
( laundered ; laundered ; laundering -d(ə)riŋ ; launders )
Etymology: obsolete launder launderer, laundress, from Middle English lander, launder
transitive verb
1.
a. : to wash (as clothes) in water
nylon shorts are easy to launder
his only towel and he had laundered it himself — Katharine N. Burt
b. : to wash and iron
put on a freshly laundered shirt
2.
a. : to remove dirt or impurities from : cleanse
the cat launders her kittens with her tongue
a dust-collecting device for laundering air
launder greasy tools with supersonic sound waves
b. : to free from flaws or objectionable matter : purify , censor
succeeded pretty well in laundering the grammar — H.R.Warfel
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to wash or wash and iron clothing or household linens
cooks, cleans, launders, and does other household chores
b. : to withstand washing and ironing
this fabric launders well
2. : sluice
water … which his colleague has laundered out of his ears — Maurice Collis
III. transitive verb
: to transfer (as illegally obtained money or investments) through an outside party to conceal the true source