Ablution

(ab-lu's hun.) [Same der iv.] A religious washing of the body, still practised by the Mohammedans. It originated in the obvious nece ity of practising cleanline for the prevention of diseases in hot countries, for which purpose it was constituted a sacred rite; and, by an easy transition, the purity of the body was made to typify the purity of the soul. [s. 3]