Where does “detergent” come from?

detergent (Catalan) comes from Latin dētergēns, from Latin dētergeō, from Latin tergeō — to rub, wipe, wipe off, clean, cleanse.

detergent (Catalan): detergent any non-soap cleaning agent

Definitions

  1. detergent any non-soap cleaning agent

Ancestry of “detergent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latindētergēnswiping off
2Latindētergeōto wipe off, wipe away, clean by wiping
3Latintergeōto rub, wipe, wipe off, clean, cleanse
Every word from Latin tergeō →Every word from Latin dētergeō →Every word from Latin dētergēns →