washing

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The action of the verb to wash.

   I then took a piece of dry stone, ground it fine in a mortar, and placed the powder in water, the sand particles sunk rapidly to the bottom, while the clay remained suspended, and by several washings and decantings the sand and clay could be approximately separated ;[…]

2. 2
   noun

   Clothing, bedlinen or soft furnishings that have been, are currently being, or are to be washed; laundry.

   My mother used to do the washing on a Monday.

3. 3
   noun

   The residue after an ore, etc, has been washed.

   The washings have a higher concentration of metal.

4. 4
   noun

   A place where a precious metal found in gravel is separated from lighter material by washing.

   the gold-washings, or silver-washings

5. 5
   noun

   A thin covering or coat.

   a washing of silver

6. 6
   noun

   the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)

7. 7
   noun

   garments or white goods that can be cleaned by laundering

8. 8
   noun

   The liquid used to wash an ore.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English waschyng /wasschinge /wasschynge /wassende /wesschinge, from Old English *wæsċende /*wasċende, from Proto-West Germanic *waskandī, from Proto-Germanic *waskandz (“washing”), present participle of *waskaną (“to wash”). By surface analysis, wash + -ing. Cognate with Dutch wassend, German waschend, Swedish vaskande.