luto-, lut-, luv-, lu- +
(Latin: wash, clean; washing of water against the shore; a flood)
From Latin luere, "to wash" which is related to lavare, "to wash".
abluent
1. Serving to cleanse.
2. A cleansing agent; a detergent.
ablution
1. A cleansing of the body, especially in a religious ceremony.
2. The liquid used in such a washing.
ablution (ab LYOO shuhn)
1. A washing of one’s body; washing, bathing, cleaning, bath, lavation: "Because of the heat, he felt the need for a daily ablution."
2. A washing or cleansing as a religious ceremony of purification; ceremonial washing, ritualistic washing: "After ablutions in the river, the holy man contiued on his journey."
ablutionary
1. Of or pertaining to washing the body, or parts of it.
2. Cleansing the body by washing; especially, ritual washing of the hands, etc.
ablutions
This may refer to the practice of removing sins, diseases or earthly defilements through the use of ritual washing, or the practice of using ritual washing as one part of a ceremony to remove sin or disease.
ablutomania
1. An obsessional preoccupation with cleanliness, washing, or bathing, often accompanied by compulsive rituals.
2. An obsessive-compulsive disorder is very often seen in a condition; such as, obsessive-compulsive psychoneurosis.
3. A morbid impulse to wash or to bathe, or an incessant preoccupation with thought of frequent hand-washing, or bathing; often seen as an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Compulsive rituals are enormously time-consuming. One woman had a compulsion to wash her hands in a certain way after touching "unclean" objects; namely, from fingers to wrist, from wrist to elbow, and from elbow to upper arm, and then to repeat the performance until her anxiety was over, which could be several times. As a result, her hands often became painfully raw.
A young man had the compulsion to wash in a certain order whenever he had a bath. He said, "When I wash clothes or clean anything—floor, carpet, windows, and so on—I have to clean them in a certain manner to make sure I do not miss anything. I can never hurry because I would not feel that it has been done properly."
When the thoughts and rituals of obsessive-compulsive disorders are intense, the victim's work and home life disintegrate. With severe compulsions, endless rituals dominate each day.
—Judith L. Rapoport, M.D.; The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing
ablutophobe
1. Someone who suffers from ablutophobia.
2. Anyone who fears or dreads washing or bathing.
ablutophobia, ablutophobic
An obsessional fear of bathing.
This fear also relates to an incessant preoccupation with washing or bathing. People who have this particular Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder may be dominated with the act of frequent
handwashing or an obsession against washing or bathing.
Activities based on this fear may include avoidance by long periods without washing, abnormal anxiety when considering washing or when
actually trying to wash, and anxiety and dread when observing others
who are washing.
There are some who have this fear who also fear water or fear being seen in the nude. Some are anxious that their bodies will be criticized or compared with those of others. Still some people simply fear warm or cold water. Ablutophobia may include taking baths, showers, or even swimming.
ablutoskepsis
Sexual excitement derived from secretly watching a person (or persons) bathing in the nude.
abluvion
A substance, or things, that are washed away.
alluvial
1. Relating to or consisting of any material that has been carried or deposited by running water; resulting in, "alluvial valley" and "alluvial deposit."
2. Consisting of earth and sand that has been left by rivers, floods, etc.
alluvial aquifer
An aquifer with geologic materials deposited by a stream and which retains a hydraulic connection with the depositing stream.
The term aquifer refers to a layer of permeable rock, sand, or gravel through which ground water flows, containing enough water to supply wells and springs.
alluvial dam
A sedimentary deposit built up by an overloaded stream and obstructing the stream channel.
alluvial flat, river flat
A small alluvial plain deposited alongside a river during floods.
alluvial mining
The process of dredging, hydraulicking, or drift mining to exploit alluvial deposits.
A special article about the historical background of washing and ablutions or cleanliness via washing.
Related "wash" words:
balneo-;
clys-;
lav-;
plyno-.
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