detergentyoudaoicibaDictYouDict[detergent 词源字典]
detergent: [17] A detergent is literally something that ‘wipes away’. The word comes from dētergent-, the present participial stem of Latin dētergēre, a compound verb formed from dē- ‘away’ and tergēre ‘wipe’ (its past participle produced English terse). English detergent originally meant simply ‘cleansing agent’ (used particularly in a medical or surgical context); the specific application to a cleanser made from synthetic chemical compounds (as opposed to soap, which is made from fats and lye) is a 20thcentury development.
=> terse[detergent etymology, detergent origin, 英语词源]
detergent (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
1610s, from Latin detergentem (nominative detergens), present participle of detergere "to wipe away, cleanse," from de- "off, away" (see de-) + tergere "to rub, polish, wipe." Originally a medical term, application to "chemical cleansing product" is from 1938.
detergent (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
"detergent substance," 1670s, from detergent (adj.).