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javel

bleach

noun zhah-VEL Rare
Home & Lifestyle Cleaning

Origin: from Javel, a former suburb of Paris where it was first made

Usage Note

Javel is almost always used as eau de Javel (bleach), named after the Parisian district where sodium hypochlorite solution was first produced in the late 18th century. The standalone form javel is informal; the full phrase eau de Javel is standard in product labelling.

Examples

"Elle nettoie les toilettes avec de la javel."

Natural Translation

She cleans the toilet with bleach.

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