I suppose the confusion between ablution and absolution came about when St John was washing away the man’s sins when absolution was meant to come as a result of his ablution in the river. But it wasn’t quite what I was thinking when I read that “. . . and the Baptist gave me ablution in the river”.
Good thing it wasn’t an erotic novel . . . Or my neighbors would have had to give me absolution for waking them in the night.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Ablution | Absolution |
|---|---|
Washing Hands by gentle07 is under the is under the CC0 license, via Pixabay. — Performing his ablutions before heading back out. |
Image from page 132 of General Biography; or, Lives, Critical and Historical, of the Most Eminent Persons of All Ages, Countries, Conditions, and Professions, Arranged According to Alphabetical Order (1818) is courtesy of Internet Archive Book Images has no known copyright restrictions, via VisualHunt. — And thou shalt receive absolution . . . |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: ablutions |
Noun
Plural: absolutions |
[Formal or humorous] The act of washing oneself
The liquid used in a religious rite [Usually ablutions] A washing of the hands, body, etc.
The ritual washing of a priest’s hands or of sacred vessels [Military; informal; ablutions] A building or room containing washing facilities and toilets |
[Formal] Release from guilt, obligation, consequence, penalty, or punishment
The formula declaring such remission |
| Examples: | |
| The women performed their ablutions in silence.
It was the same every night, performing the pre-bed ablution. Their morning ablutions were reduced to cold water. He had emerged from his fairly elaborate morning ablutions looking ashen-faced. When I was done she wrapped my shoulders in a towel, and then performed her own quick ablutions as Alice and I finished drying ourselves. He applied sandal paste on his forehead and wore the sacred thread across his body and was rigorous in the ablutions before prayers. The guards now took over, kicking and shoving him in the direction of the ablutions. There are taps for the men’s ablutions. |
The priest administered absolution.
That jerk received absolution and is free to go out and commit yet more sins. She had been granted absolution for her sins. So I seek absolution from my wicked thoughts, and I promise to be calm and serene from now on. Sam was asking for forgiveness and wanted absolution from Ian. The sun refuses to differentiate among them, grants a kind of absolution from individual frailties. The Friar gives absolution for sins in exchange for money and flirts with the prettiest wives. The priest would hear confessions and give absolution for sins. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: ablutionary | Noun: nonabsolution |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English from the Latin ablutio(n-), which is from abluere, which is from ab- (away) + luere (wash). The original use was as a term in chemistry and alchemy meaning purification by using liquids, hence the mid-16th century purification of the body by washing. | Middle English via the Old French from Latin absolutio(n-), from the verb absolvere. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Ablution versus Absolution
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Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: ablution
Oxford Dictionaries: ablution, absolution
Pinterest Photo Credits:
The sky portion of Waving – Not Drowning, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/8270046023/68c3e48d02/>, by Jenny Downing, <https://visualhunt.com/author/5a3600>, was removed for a more believable bishop to stand over her and appear to be in the water while the background edge of the water was smudged to give the effect of steam. It is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via VisualHunt. Bishop in Choir Dress, Ghent, has no machine-readable author provided. Carolus assumed (based on copyright claims). It is under the GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0, or CC BY 2.5 license, via Wikimedia Commons. The background was removed and the image reversed with the lower portion removed.
Revised as of 14 April 2021
By: Kathy Davie
