laundered
UK[ˈlɔːndəd]US[ˈlɔːndərd]
v
To wash and iron clothes, bed linen, etc.
v
To process (illegally obtained money) to make it appear legitimate.
Morpheme Breakdown
launder
ed
launder
to wash
ed
past tense/participle suffix
Etymology
The word 'launder' originates from the Old French 'lavandiere', meaning a washerwoman, which itself derives from the Latin verb 'lavare', meaning "to wash". This Latin root is traceable to the Proto-Indo-European lewh₃-, meaning "to wash". The modern verb 'laundered' retains the core meaning of washing textiles. Its significant semantic extension to the processing of money emerged in the 20th century, metaphorically applying the concept of "cleaning" to illicit funds, thereby making them appear clean and legitimate.
Analysis
Structure: launder (to wash) + ed (past tense/participle suffix)
- launder: From Middle English 'lavendre', from Old French 'lavandiere', meaning "a washer of linen". Its functional role is the core verb stem.
- ed: A native English suffix of Germanic origin, used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
The hotel laundered the sheets and towels daily.
He was convicted for laundering millions of dollars through shell companies.
She carefully laundered her silk blouse by hand.