detergent

What it means

1. countableuncountableAny non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant.

   liquid detergent

   4 more examples

   Near-synonym: cleaner (sometimes coordinate)

   laundry detergent

   powdered detergent

   She used a mild detergent to wash the clothes.

   Synonyms: cleaner

In a sentence

Near-synonym: cleaner (sometimes coordinate)

Where it comes from

1. Latindētergēns
2. Frenchdétergent
3. Englishdetergent

From French détergent, from Latin dētergēns, the present participle of dētergeō, from dē (“off”) + tergeō (“wipe, polish”).