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Webster 1913 Edition
Bleach
Bleach
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Bleached
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bleaching
.] [OE. ]
blakien
, blechen
, v. t. & v. i., AS. blācian
, bl[GREEK]can
, to grow pale; akin to Icel. bleikja
, Sw. bleka
, Dan. blege
, D. bleeken
, G. bleichen
, AS. blāc
pale. See Bleak
, Adj.
To make white, or whiter; to remove the color, or stains, from; to blanch; to whiten.
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. Ure.
Immortal liberty, whose look sublime
Hath
Hath
bleached
the tyrant’s cheek in every varying clime. Smollett.
Bleach
,Verb.
I.
To grow white or lose color; to whiten.
Webster 1828 Edition
Bleach
BLEACH
,Verb.
T.
To whiten; to make white or whiter; to take out color; applied to many things, but particularly to cloth and thread. Bleaching is variously performed, but in general by steeping the cloth in lye, or a solution of pot or pearl ashes, and then exposing it to the solar rays.
Bleaching is now generally performed, on the large scale, by means of chlorine or the oxymuriatic acid, which has the property of whitening vegetable substances.
BLEACH
,Verb.
I.