"eyewash" meaning in English

See eyewash in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-eyewash.ogg [Australia] Forms: eyewashes [plural]
Etymology: eye + wash Etymology templates: {{compound|en|eye|wash}} eye + wash Head templates: {{en-noun|-|+}} eyewash (usually uncountable, plural eyewashes)
  1. (countable, uncountable) The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself. Tags: countable, uncountable, usually Categories (topical): Eye Translations (means of creating deceptive impression): silmänlume (Finnish), очковтира́тельство (očkovtirátelʹstvo) [neuter] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-eyewash-en-noun-en:eye_cleaning_or_eye_cleaner Disambiguation of Eye: 22 20 24 19 15 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 10 8 30 24 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 28 16 14 23 19 Disambiguation of 'means of creating deceptive impression': 52 22 25
  2. (countable, uncountable) A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes. Tags: countable, uncountable, usually Categories (topical): Eye Translations (lotion): silmähuuhde (Finnish), collyre [masculine] (French)
    Sense id: en-eyewash-en-noun-en:eye_lotion Disambiguation of Eye: 22 20 24 19 15 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 10 8 30 24 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 28 16 14 23 19 Disambiguation of 'lotion': 12 76 12
  3. (uncountable, slang, figurative) Camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense. Tags: figuratively, slang, uncountable, usually Categories (topical): Eye Related terms (camouflage, disguise, pretense): whitewash Translations (nonsense, flattery, pretentiousness): silmänlume (Finnish), silmänpalvonta (Finnish)
    Sense id: en-eyewash-en-noun-en:pretense Disambiguation of Eye: 22 20 24 19 15 Categories (other): English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 28 16 14 23 19 Disambiguation of 'camouflage, disguise, pretense': 4 2 94 Disambiguation of 'nonsense, flattery, pretentiousness': 18 13 69
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: window dressing [slang]

Verb

Audio: En-au-eyewash.ogg [Australia] Forms: eyewashes [present, singular, third-person], eyewashing [participle, present], eyewashed [participle, past], eyewashed [past]
Etymology: eye + wash Etymology templates: {{compound|en|eye|wash}} eye + wash Head templates: {{en-verb}} eyewash (third-person singular simple present eyewashes, present participle eyewashing, simple past and past participle eyewashed)
  1. To fool with nonsense or flattery. Categories (topical): Eye
    Sense id: en-eyewash-en-verb-0Z8xQI2y Disambiguation of Eye: 22 20 24 19 15 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 10 8 30 24 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 28 16 14 23 19
  2. (intelligence) To keep information secret by sending false information to many people in one's own organization, and correct information to a select few. Categories (topical): Eye
    Sense id: en-eyewash-en-verb-XPp-qZhm Disambiguation of Eye: 22 20 24 19 15 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 10 8 30 24 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 28 16 14 23 19
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: eyebath

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for eyewash meaning in English (8.9kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "eye",
        "3": "wash"
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      "expansion": "eye + wash",
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  "etymology_text": "eye + wash",
  "forms": [
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      "form": "eyewashes",
      "tags": [
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  "head_templates": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
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          "_dis": "27 10 8 30 24",
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          "text": "an eyewash station on every floor of the building",
          "type": "example"
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      ],
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      ],
      "id": "en-eyewash-en-noun-en:eye_cleaning_or_eye_cleaner",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable, uncountable) The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:eye cleaning or eye cleaner"
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        {
          "_dis1": "52 22 25",
          "code": "fi",
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          "sense": "means of creating deceptive impression",
          "word": "silmänlume"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "52 22 25",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "očkovtirátelʹstvo",
          "sense": "means of creating deceptive impression",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "очковтира́тельство"
        }
      ]
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    {
      "categories": [
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes."
      ],
      "id": "en-eyewash-en-noun-en:eye_lotion",
      "links": [
        [
          "lotion",
          "lotion"
        ],
        [
          "eye",
          "eye"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable, uncountable) A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:eye lotion"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "12 76 12",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "lotion",
          "word": "silmähuuhde"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 76 12",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "lotion",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "collyre"
        }
      ]
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          "_dis": "22 20 24 19 15",
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            "Biology",
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            "All topics",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1960, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter XI, in Jeeves in the Offing",
          "text": "Talking of being eaten by dogs, there's a dachshund at Brinkley who when you first meet him will give you the impression that he plans to convert you into a light snack between his regular meals. Pay no attention. It's all eyewash. […] He wouldn't hurt a fly, but he has to put up a front because his name's Poppet. One can readily appreciate that when a dog hears himself addressed day in and day out as Poppet, he feels he must throw his weight about. His self-respect demands it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense."
      ],
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          "pretense"
        ],
        [
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          "nonsense"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncountable, slang, figurative) Camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense."
      ],
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          "_dis1": "4 2 94",
          "sense": "camouflage, disguise, pretense",
          "word": "whitewash"
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      "senseid": [
        "en:pretense"
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      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
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      "translations": [
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          "_dis1": "18 13 69",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "nonsense, flattery, pretentiousness",
          "word": "silmänlume"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 13 69",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "nonsense, flattery, pretentiousness",
          "word": "silmänpalvonta"
        }
      ]
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  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "audio": "En-au-eyewash.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/05/En-au-eyewash.ogg/En-au-eyewash.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/En-au-eyewash.ogg",
      "tags": [
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  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "word": "window dressing"
    }
  ],
  "word": "eyewash"
}

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  "forms": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "eyebath"
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        "To fool with nonsense or flattery."
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          "ref": "2016 January 31, “‘Eyewash’: How the CIA deceives its own workforce about operations”, in The New York Times",
          "text": "But others said that eyewashing was a standard security practice that had been in existence for decades.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To keep information secret by sending false information to many people in one's own organization, and correct information to a select few."
      ],
      "id": "en-eyewash-en-verb-XPp-qZhm",
      "qualifier": "intelligence",
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        "(intelligence) To keep information secret by sending false information to many people in one's own organization, and correct information to a select few."
      ]
    }
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        "The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself."
      ],
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        "(countable, uncountable) The washing out of the eyes with copious solution (usually water alone) to quickly remove an irritant, as for example in laboratories and industrial plants; the washing solution itself."
      ],
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        "A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes."
      ],
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        "(countable, uncountable) A soothing medicated lotion for the eyes."
      ],
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          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense."
      ],
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        "(uncountable, slang, figurative) Camouflage; disguise; false front; pretense; nonsense."
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  "synonyms": [
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      "word": "window dressing"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "lotion",
      "word": "silmähuuhde"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "lotion",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "collyre"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "nonsense, flattery, pretentiousness",
      "word": "silmänlume"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "nonsense, flattery, pretentiousness",
      "word": "silmänpalvonta"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "means of creating deceptive impression",
      "word": "silmänlume"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "očkovtirátelʹstvo",
      "sense": "means of creating deceptive impression",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "очковтира́тельство"
    }
  ],
  "word": "eyewash"
}

{
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  "etymology_text": "eye + wash",
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      "expansion": "eyewash (third-person singular simple present eyewashes, present participle eyewashing, simple past and past participle eyewashed)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "eyebath"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To fool with nonsense or flattery."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2016 January 31, “‘Eyewash’: How the CIA deceives its own workforce about operations”, in The New York Times",
          "text": "But others said that eyewashing was a standard security practice that had been in existence for decades.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To keep information secret by sending false information to many people in one's own organization, and correct information to a select few."
      ],
      "qualifier": "intelligence",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intelligence) To keep information secret by sending false information to many people in one's own organization, and correct information to a select few."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-eyewash.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/05/En-au-eyewash.ogg/En-au-eyewash.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/En-au-eyewash.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "eyewash"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.