To cleanse or wash away, especially in a medical context, meaning to remove impurities, infected material, or debris from a wound or surface.
From Latin detergere, combining de- (away) and tergere (to wipe or clean), literally meaning 'to wipe away'; used in medicine and chemistry since the 17th century.
In medieval and Renaissance medicine, deterge was a key verb—doctors would deterge wounds to prevent infection long before they understood bacteria, yet the practice worked because physical cleansing actually saved lives.
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