Dictionary Definition

ablution n : the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels

User Contributed Dictionary

ablutio, from abluo. Compare French ablution.

The act of washing or cleansing; specifically, the washing of the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite.
The water used in cleansing.
- Pope
  
  Cast the ablutions in the main.
In the context of "Roman Catholic Church": A small quantity of wine and water, which is used to wash the priest's thumb and index finger after the communion, and which then, as perhaps containing portions of the consecrated elements, is drunk by the priest.

the act of washing or cleansing

the water used in cleansing

Roman Catholic Church: a small quantity of wine and water

Ablution is a term referring to washing, and can mean:

Ordinary washing:
- Hand washing
- Washing of the body
- by extension, ablutions can refer to a collection of regular activities taken to produce physical cleanliness, including washing but also tasks like oral hygiene, and shaving.
Ritual washing for the purpose of ritual purification:
- Wudu and Ghusl: Two Islamic acts of washing parts of the body using water
- Ablution in Christianity
  - Ablutions (Episcopal)
- Ritual washing in Judaism
- Misogi: A Shinto practice of purification