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Abluent/Ablutions
Abluent means pertaining to the ability of a substance
to wash away or to make something clean, typically
with water or some other liquid (e.g., baby oil) or
substance. As an example of how the term is used,
soap can be described as abluent. Ablution is the act
of bathing or washing one’s body (or part of it) and thus
plays an important role in maintaining proper hygiene.
The term can be used in a medical context (e.g., hand
washing for proper hygiene in a medical facility prior to
surgery) but is sometimes used to refer to cleaning in
religious rituals.
Various units of measurement
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The lack of ablution in hygiene care can lead to body odor, bacterial and fungal growth,
and various illnesses that could have been prevented.
In chemistry, ablution was used to refer to the purification of oils and other substances
with hot water. These days, the term is used in chemistry to refer to a thorough cleaning
of a non-dissolved material or a solid that exits the liquid phase of a solution. Ablutions
(noun) are washing facilities or buildings where such facilities are located. An example
would be public showers at a beach.
Abluent comes from the Latin word "abluens" meaning "to wash off."
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