Link Centre Dictionary

bleach

UK/bliːt͡ʃ/ US/blit͡ʃ/ fairly common
noun (3) verb (2)

noun

1.

the whiteness that results from removing the color from something

  • “a complete bleach usually requires several applications”
2.
3.

the act of whitening something by bleaching it (exposing it to sunlight or using a chemical bleaching agent)

verb

1.
2.

make whiter or lighter

  • “bleach the laundry”

Origin

From Middle English blechen, from Old English blǣċan (“to bleach, whiten”), from Proto-West Germanic *blaikijan, from Proto-Germanic *blaikijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Dutch bleken (“to bleach”), German bleichen (“to bleach”), Danish blege, Swedish bleka (“to bleach”). Related to Old English blāc (“pale”) (English blake; compare also bleak).

Phrases

  • bleach bypass
  • bleach job
  • bleach weed
  • brain bleach
  • eye bleach
  • mind bleach
  • skip bleach

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.