rinse

From Middle English rinsen, rensen, rencen (“to rinse”), from Old French rincier, reinser, Old Northern French raïncer (“to rinse, cleanse”). Of contested origin. Possibly from Old Norse hreinsa, from Proto-Germanic *hrainisōną (“to clean, purify”), from Proto-Indo-European *krey- (“to separate, divide”). Alternatively from a dissimilation of Old French recincier, from Latin recentare (“to make fresh”).

Cognate with French rincer. From the Germanic verb are Danish rense, Norwegian rense, Swedish rensa (all “to clean”), Old High German reinisōn (“to clean, purify, atone”). It is related to German rein (“pure”), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (hrains, “clean”), and English riddle. The Latin verb is related to recent.

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪns
• (dated, regional US) IPA^(key): /ɹɛns/[1]

rinse (third-person singular simple present rinses, present participle rinsing, simple past and past participle rinsed)

1. (transitive) To wash (something) quickly using water and no soap.

   You'd better rinse that stain before putting the shirt in the washing machine.

2. (transitive) To remove soap from (something) using water.

   Rinse the dishes after you wash them.

3. (transitive) To swish (a liquid) around the inside of something.
   • 1958 May, Avram Davidson, “Or All The Seas With Oysters”, in Galaxy Science Fiction‎, page 51:

     Oscar uncapped his beer, rinsed the first mouthful around.

4. (UK, slang) To thoroughly defeat in an argument, fight or other competition.

   You got rinsed.

   • 2020 August 7, Joseph Bizinger, Garnt Maneetapho, Connor Marc Colquhoun, “Our Dark Past with Anime YouTube” (2:25 from the start), in Trash Taste‎, season 1, episode 10 (podcast), spoken by Connor Marc Colquhoun (Connor Marc Colquhoun), Tokyo, Japan: YouTube, archived from the original on 2020-10-19:

     I think that's a British thing though. Like, I got rinsed for playing video games.

• rinse and repeat
• rinse down
• rinse off
• rinse out
• rinse-pitcher

rinse (plural rinses)

1. The action of rinsing.

   I'll just give this knife a quick rinse.

2. A liquid used to rinse, now particularly a hair dye.

   I had a henna rinse yesterday.

• (rinsing, a rinsing): lavatory
• (anything used to rinse): lavatory, wash

• ESRIN, Isner, Neris, Reins, Rines, Siner, Siren, reins, resin, rines, risen, serin, siren