Where does “detergent” come from?

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

Ancestry of “detergent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latindētergēnswiping off
2Latindētergeōto wipe off, wipe away, clean by wiping
3Latintergeōto rub, wipe, wipe off, clean, cleanse

Words derived from “detergent”

Every word from Latin tergeō →Every word from Latin dētergeō →Every word from Latin dētergēns →