the act of washing yourself 沐浴;净体(礼);净手(礼) Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin ablutio(n-), from abluere, from ab- ‘away’ + luere ‘wash’. The original use was as a term in chemistry and alchemy meaning ‘purification by using liquids’, hence ‘purification of the body by washing’ (mid 16th cent.).