When the term detergent was first introduced in the early seventeenth century, it was used as an adjective meaning “cleansing” or “purging”. By the 1670s, it had also evolved into a noun referring to a cleaning agent. Initially used in a medical context, the term transitioned to household cleaning products in the 1930s. Its origin can be traced back to the Latin word detergentem, the accusative form of the present participle of the verb detergere, which means “to wipe away”. This word comprises the prefix de-, indicating “off” or “away” (likely of Etruscan descent), and the verb tergere, meaning “to wipe”. While the etymology of tergere is uncertain in some sources, there is a hypothesis suggesting it may have derived from the Proto-Indo-European root terh, signifying “to rub”.
