absterge
v. C2 Proficiency ab·sterge
v. to clean or wash something thoroughly. This is an old word that people rarely use today.
v. to cleanse or wash thoroughly. Archaic in modern usage, though it appears in historical or literary contexts.
The old sailor absterge his hands in the saltwater.
In the old medical texts, the surgeon was instructed to absterge the wound before applying the bandage.
From French and Middle French absterger or from Medieval Latin abstergēre (“wipe off or away”); formed from Latin abs- + tergeō (“to wipe off”).