lavation

9.9

Washing with water and soap to make something clean

noun
/ləˈveɪʃən/

Archaic

: lavación

Frequent lavation of the hands can help prevent the spread of illness.

Examples

The nurse performed a careful lavation of the patient's wound before dressing it.
In certain rituals, a full lavation of the body is required before entering the temple.
Daily lavation is essential for good hygiene.
He enjoys a refreshing lavation after a long day.
Frequent lavation of the hands can help prevent the spread of illness.
The nurse performed a careful lavation of the patient's wound before dressing it.
Daily lavation is essential for good hygiene.

Synonyms

wash

vslavation

89 1.0

An act of cleaning something with water, often using soap

focuses on the same cleansing action especially using soap and water

washing

vslavation

46 1.0

The act of cleaning something with water and soap

is a general term for the same act of cleansing with soap and water

rinsing

vslavation

3 1.0

Washing something with clean water to remove soap or detergent

is broader, covering the entire act of cleaning not only soap removal

washup

vslavation

Informal

1.8

Washing yourself or someone else quickly to clean

is broader and covers any act of cleansing, not just quick personal washing

Antonyms

dirtiness

1 1.0

Not being clean because it has mud, dust or stains

How Clean

sterilization

Specialized

3 4.5

disinfection

3 4.1

to scrub

55 1.0

lavation

Archaic

9.9

rinse

8 1.0

Surface Forms

lavation singular

lavations plural

Morphology

lavation = lave (opaque) = lav + ation

Formally built from the Latin root 'lav-' + '-ation', but the root is rare in modern English and not familiar to average learners, so the meaning is not easily derived.

Etymology

Lavation comes from the Latin verb lavare, which means 'to wash', and is like the everyday word lavatory, a place for washing. So, lavation simply means the act of washing or cleansing.