Bleach

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Bleach, v. t. [OE. blakien, blechen, v. t. & v. i., AS. blācian, blcan, to grow pale; akin to Icel. bleikja, Sw. bleka, Dan. blege, D. bleeken, G. bleichen, AS. blāc pale. See Bleak, a.].

 To make white, or whiter; to remove the color, or stains, from; to blanch; to whiten.  [1913 Webster]
"The destruction of the coloring matters attached to the bodies to be bleached is effected either by the action of the air and light, of chlorine, or of sulphurous acid."  [1913 Webster]
"Immortal liberty, whose look sublime
Hath bleached the tyrant's cheek in every varying clime."  [1913 Webster]

Bleach, v. i. 

 To grow white or lose color; to whiten.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Bleach, v. & n.
--v.tr. & intr. whiten by exposure to sunlight or by a chemical process.
--n.
1 a bleaching substance.
2 the process of bleaching.

Idiom

bleaching-powder calcium hypochlorite used esp. to remove colour from materials.

Etymology

OE bl{aelig}can f. Gmc

THESAURUS

Bleach

achromatization, achromatize, besnow, blanch, blanching, bleach out, bleacher, bleaching, bleaching agent, bleaching powder, blench, bowdlerize, chalk, change color, chlorine, clean, clean out, clean up, cleanse, clear out, decolor, decolorant, decoloration, decolorization, decolorize, decolorizer, decolorizing, delouse, depurate, deterge, dim, discolor, discoloration, drain, drain of color, dry-clean, dull, dust, dust off, etiolate, etiolation, expurgate, fade, fade out, fading, freshen, frost, fume, grizzle, grow pale, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, lighten, lightening, lime, lose color, lustrate, madder bleach, market bleach, nitrogen tetroxide, oxalic acid, pale, paling, peroxide, purge, purify, reform, scavenge, silver, sodium hypochlorite, sour, spruce, steam-clean, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, sweep out, sweeten, tarnish, tidy, tone down, turn pale, turn white, wan, wash out, white, white sour, whiten, whitening, wipe, wipe off, wipe out, wipe up

ROGET THESAURUS

Bleach

Achromatism

VB lose color, fade, fly, go, become colorless, turn pale, pale, deprive of color, decolorize, bleach, tarnish, achromatize, blanch, etiolate, wash out, tone down.

Whiteness

VB be white, render white, whiten, bleach, blanch, etiolate, whitewash, silver.