launder

WOTD – 5 October 2007    

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Contracted from Middle English lavender, from Old French lavandiere, from Late Latin lavandena, from Latin lavō (“I wash”).

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈlɔːndə/
• (US) IPA: /ˈlɔːndɚ/, /ˈlɑːndɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

launder (plural launders)

1. (obsolete) A washerwoman.
2. (mining) A trough used by miners to receive powdered ore from the box where it is beaten, or for carrying water to the stamps, or other apparatus for comminuting (sorting) the ore.
3. A gutter (for rainwater)

Synonyms

• (washerwoman): launderer, laundress, washerwoman

Translations

washerwoman — see washerwoman

trough used by miners

• Finnish: ränni (fi)

Verb

launder (third-person singular simple present launders, present participle laundering, simple past and past participle laundered)

1. To wash; to wash, and to smooth with a flatiron or mangle; to wash and iron.
2. (obsolete) To lave; to wet.

   Shakespeare.

3. (money) To disguise the source of ill-gotten wealth by various means.

Derived terms

• money laundering

Translations

to wash

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 洗 (cmn)

• Crimean Tatar: yuvmaq
• Finnish: pyykätä, pestä vaatteita
• French: blanchir (fr)

• German: waschen (de)
• Latin: lavō (la)
• Polish: prać (pl), uprać (pl)
• Portuguese: lavar (pt)
• Spanish: lavar (es)

to wet

• Latin: lavō (la)

to disguise the source of

• Finnish: pestä (fi)
• German: waschen (de)

• Hungarian: pézt mos (hu)
• Russian: отмывать (ru) (otmyvatʹ)

Related terms

• launderer
• launderette
• laundress
• laundry
• lave

Anagrams

• Arundel, lurdane