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Glite Dictionary
🎨 Making blue 🧺 A whitening powder
blueing

blueing

9.3
A blue dye added to laundry or hair to make them look whiter
  • noun
  • /ˈbluːɪŋ/
  • US
translation icon : azulante
  • She added a bit of blueing to the wash to keep her white shirts looking bright.

Examples

  • Some elderly people use blueing to give their grey hair a more silvery tone.

  • In older times, blueing was a common laundry product found in many households.

  • The laundry detergent contains a special blueing agent.

  • I added some blueing to my whites to keep them bright.

  • She added a bit of blueing to the wash to keep her white shirts looking bright.

  • The laundry detergent contains a special blueing agent.

  • In older times, blueing was a common laundry product found in many households.

Synonyms

dye
vsblueing
85 2.0

A substance used to change the color of cloth or hair

is focused on removing yellowing to whiten rather than general recoloring
blue
vsblueing
  • Archaic
53 8.2

A powder or liquid added to laundry to make whites whiter

is used specifically to counteract yellowing for a whiter appearance
hair dye
vsblueing
7 2.0

A liquid or cream that colors hair

is used both for laundry and hair, not only for changing hair color
rinse
vsblueing
6 4.4

A liquid that adds a light color to hair

is a specific colorant added to laundry or hair to remove yellowing
bluing
vsblueing
  • Archaic
1 9.5

A blue liquid added to laundry or hair to reduce yellow and make them look whiter

is the same in meaning but written with a different spelling
dyestuff
vsblueing
7.7

A substance used to add color to cloth and hair

is used specifically to counter yellowing rather than for general coloring

How Blue

dye
85 2.0
pigment
17 3.6
blueing
  • US
9.3

Surface Forms

blueing singular
blueings plural

Morphology

blueing = blue (transparent) = blue + ing

Derived as the result or agent nominalization of 'blue' + '-ing' referring to a substance used to produce a blue effect.

Etymology

The word blueing comes from blue 'the color' and the -ing part meaning 'making', and it was the name for a small blue dye people add to the wash to make white clothes look brighter. So, blueing can also mean the dye or powder used in laundry or to give grey hair a more silvery, bluish tone.