whiten

Meaning

(To cause) to become white or whiter; to bleach or blanch.

Synonyms

bleach

whitewash

blanch

pale

white

fade

become white

wash

🧽

make white

turn white

dim

launder

lighten

paint

pelt

peroxide

pipe-clay

purify

scald

shower

🚿

snow

❄️

whitening

become pale

decolor

decolorise

decolour

decolourise

make pure

paint white

white-wash

grow white

lime wash

be white snow

bleaching

bleach out

blench

clean

cleanse

clear

decolorize

decolourize

decorate

exonerate

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈ(h)waɪ̯.tən/

Etymology

From Middle English whitenen, whitnen, from Old Norse hvítna (“to whiten”), from Proto-Germanic *hwītnōną (“to whiten, become white”), from Proto-Indo-European *kwind-, *kwint- (“bright”), equivalent to white + -en. Cognate with Icelandic hvítna (“to whiten”), Swedish vitna, hvitna (“to whiten”), Danish hvidne (“to whiten”). Compare Old English hwītian (“to whiten, become white, be white, make white”).