To wash or cleanse, especially as a ritual or religious practice.
From Latin ablutus, past participle of abluere (ab- away + luere, to wash). The word refers specifically to washing away impurities, commonly used in religious contexts.
Nearly every major religion has ablution rituals—Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Jews all practice washing before prayer—and the fact that Latin has a specific word for this shows how common and important the practice was in ancient Mediterranean cultures!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.