Synonyms

bleached

[bleech] Origin

bleach

[bleech]
verb (used with object)
1.
to make whiter or lighter in color, as by exposure to sunlight or a chemical agent; remove the color from.
2.
Photography. to convert (the silver image of a negative or print) to a silver halide, either to remove the image or to change its tone.
verb (used without object)
3.
to become whiter or lighter in color.

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Bleached is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
noun
4.
a bleaching agent.
5.
degree of paleness achieved in bleaching.
6.
an act of bleaching.

Origin:
before 1050; Middle English blechen, Old English blǣcean, derivative of blāc pale; cognate with Old Norse bleikja, Old High German bleichēn

bleach·a·ble, adjective
bleach·a·bil·i·ty, noun
half-bleached, adjective
non·bleach, noun
o·ver·bleach, verb
EXPAND
re·bleach, verb
sem·i·bleached, adjective
un·bleached, adjective
un·bleach·ing, adjective
COLLAPSE


1. See whiten.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bleach
O.E. blæcan "bleach, whiten," from P.Gmc. *blaikjan "to make white" (cf. O.S. blek, O.N. bleikr, Du. bleek, O.H.G. bleih, Ger. bleich "pale;" O.N. bleikja, Du. bleken, Ger. bleichen "to bleach"), from PIE base *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn" (cf. Skt. bhrajate "shines;" Gk. phlegein "to burn;"
EXPAND
L. flamma "flame," fulmen "lightning," fulgere "to shine, flash," flagrare "to burn;" O.C.S. belu "white;" Lith. balnas "pale"). The same root probably produced black; perhaps because both black and white are colorless, or because both are associated with burning. The noun meaning "a bleaching agent" is recorded from 1898.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
bleach   (blēch)  Pronunciation Key 
A chemical agent used to whiten or remove color from textiles, paper, food, and other substances and materials. Chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, and hydrogen peroxide are bleaches. Bleaches remove color by oxidation or reduction.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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