brainwash

See also: brain-wash

English

Alternative forms

• brain-wash, brain wash

Etymology

From brain +‎ wash, a calque of Chinese 洗腦 / 洗脑 (xǐnǎo), literally to wash the brain. Usage via U.S. military during the Korean War.

Pronunciation

• enPR: brān'wŏsh, IPA^(key): /ˈbɹeɪnwɒʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

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• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -eɪnwɒʃ

Noun

brainwash (plural brainwashes)

1. A distorting effect upon one's memory, belief, or ideas, as by propaganda.

Translations

form of indoctrination

• Arabic: غَسِيل دِمَاغ m (ḡasīl dimāḡ), غَسِيل مُخّ m (ḡasīl muḵḵ)

  Gulf Arabic: غسيل مخ m (ḡasīl muḵ)

• Armenian: ուղեղների լվացում (hy) (uġeġneri lvacʻum)
• Belarusian: прамыва́нне мазго́ў n (pramyvánnje mazhów)
• Bulgarian: проми́ване на мо́зъци n (promívane na mózǎci)
• Catalan: rentat de cervell m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 洗腦 / 洗脑 (sai² nou⁵)

  Hokkien: 洗腦 / 洗脑 (sé-náu, sóe-náu)

  Mandarin: 洗腦 / 洗脑 (zh) (xǐnǎo)

• Czech: vymývání mozků n
• Danish: hjernevask c
• Dutch: hersenspoeling (nl) f
• Esperanto: cerbolavado
• Estonian: ajupesu
• Faroese: heilatváttur m
• Finnish: aivopesu (fi)
• French: lavage de cerveau (fr) m
• Georgian: ტვინის გამორეცხვა (ṭvinis gamorecxva)
• German: Gehirnwäsche (de) f, Hirnwäsche f, Mentizid (de) m or n
• Greek: πλύση εγκεφάλου (el) f (plýsi egkefálou)
• Hebrew: שטיפת מוח \ שְׁטִיפַת מוֹחַ (he) m (shtifát móakh)
• Hungarian: agymosás (hu)
• Icelandic: heilaþvottur (is) m
• Indonesian: cuci otak (id)
• Italian: lavaggio del cervello (it) m
• Japanese: 洗脳 (ja) (せんのう, sennō)
• Korean: 세뇌(洗腦) (senoe)
• Latvian: smadzeņu skalošana f
• Lithuanian: smegenų plovimas m
• Macedonian: миење мозок n (mienje mozok), перење на мозокот n (perenje na mozokot)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hjernevask m, hjernevasking m or f

  Nynorsk: hjernevask m or n, hjernevasking f

• Persian: شستشوی مغزی (šostošu-ye maġzi)
• Polish: pranie mózgu n
• Portuguese: lavagem cerebral (pt) f
• Romanian: spălare a creierului f
• Russian: промыва́ние мозго́в (ru) n (promyvánije mozgóv)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: испирање мозга n

  Latin: ispiranje mozga n

• Slovak: vymývanie mozgov n
• Slovene: pranje možganov n
• Spanish: lavado de cerebro (es) m, comedura de coco f (Spain, colloquial)
• Swedish: hjärntvätt (sv) c
• Tajik: шустушӯи мағзи (šustušü-yi maġz-i)
• Thai: การล้างสมอง (th) (gaan-láang-sà-mɔ̌ɔng)
• Ukrainian: промива́ння мі́зків n (promyvánnja mízkiv)
• Urdu: دماغ شوئی (dimāġ-śū'ī)
• Vietnamese: tẩy não (vi)

Verb

brainwash (third-person singular simple present brainwashes, present participle brainwashing, simple past and past participle brainwashed)

1. (psychology, transitive) To affect one's mind by using extreme mental pressure or any other mind-affecting process. (e.g. hypnosis)
2. (figuratively, dated, transitive) To take from an electronically controlled machine its stored-up information; to erase a computer's programming. (1960)
3. (transitive) To persuade completely and forcibly.

   The news media brainwashed many people.

Derived terms

• brainwashable
• brainwashedness
• brainwashee
• brainwasher
• brainwashy
• unbrainwash

Translations

to affect one's mind

• Arabic: ّغَسَلَ المُخ (ḡasala l-muḵḵ)

  Egyptian Arabic: غَسَل الدِماغ (ḡasal id-dimāḡ)

• Armenian: ուղեղը լվանալ (uġeġə lvanal)
• Catalan: rentar el cervell
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 洗腦 / 洗脑 (sai² nou⁵)

  Mandarin: 洗腦 / 洗脑 (zh) (xǐnǎo)

• Czech: vymýt mozek
• Danish: hjernevaske
• Dutch: hersenspoelen (nl)
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Estonian: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: aivopestä (fi)
• French: décerveler (fr), laver le cerveau, bourrer le crâne (fr)
• German: einer Gehirnwäsche unterziehen, gehirnwaschen
• Hebrew: שָׁטַף מֹחַ (shatáf móakh)
• Hungarian: agymosást végez
• Icelandic: heilaþvo
• Indonesian: mencuci otak
• Italian: fare il lavaggio del cervello
• Japanese: 洗脳する (ja) (せんのうする, sennō suru)
• Korean: 세뇌하다 (senoehada)
• Lao: ລ້າງສະໝອງ (lāng sa mǭng)
• Latvian: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: išplauti smegenis, užzombinti
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Mongolian: тархи угаах (tarxi ugaax)
• Polish: prać mózg komu impf, wyprać mózg komu pf
• Portuguese: fazer lavagem cerebral em
• Romanian: spăla creier
• Russian: промыва́ть мозги́ impf (promyvátʹ mozgí), промы́ть мозги́ pf (promýtʹ mozgí), зомби́ровать (ru) impf or pf (zombírovatʹ)
• Slovak: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: lavar el cerebro (es)
• Swahili: fua bongo
• Swedish: hjärntvätta (sv)
• Thai: ล้างสมอง (th) (láang-sà-mɔ̌ɔng)
• Turkish: beyin yıkamak (tr)
• Ukrainian: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: tẩy não (vi)