launder
Definitions
To wash and iron clothes or linen
洗熨（衣物、布草）
To move illegally obtained money through legitimate businesses to hide its source
洗钱（掩盖非法所得的来源）
Root Breakdown
Native EnglishFrom Old French lavandier, 'one who washes,' from lavāre. The lav- sound softened to laund- through French. The original sense is washing clothes; in the 20th century it gained the figurative sense of 'washing' dirty money clean.
Root lav still carries 19 more wordsWhy It Means This
Launder's second life is a perfect metaphor. Just as washing removes dirt from clothes, money laundering removes the 'dirt' of crime from cash — passing it through legitimate businesses until it looks clean. The image of washing is so apt that 'money laundering' is now the standard legal term.
Common Collocations
- 1.launder money洗钱
- 2.money laundering洗钱（行为）
- 3.launder clothes洗衣服
- 4.freshly laundered刚洗干净的
Example Sentences
- 1.
She laundered the sheets and hung them out to dry.
- 2.
The gang used restaurants to launder their drug money.
- 3.
He was charged with laundering millions through shell companies.