Bleach

Etymology
blechen, from blǣcean, from, a derivation of blāc "pale", from.

Noun

 * 1)  A chemical, such as sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide, or a preparation of such a chemical, used for disinfecting or whitening.
 * 2)  A variety of bleach.

Verb

 * 1)  To treat with bleach, especially so as to whiten (fabric, paper, etc) or lighten (hair).
 * 2)  For corals to lose color due to stress-induced expulsion of symbiotic unicellular algae.
 * Once coral bleaching begins, corals tend to continue to bleach even if the stressor is removed.

Synonyms

 * blanch

Thesaurus
achromatization, achromatize, besnow, blanch, blanching, bleach out, bleacher, bleaching, bleaching agent, bleaching powder, blench, bowdlerize, chalk, change color, chlorine, clean, clean out, clean up, cleanse, clear out, decolor, decolorant, decoloration, decolorization, decolorize, decolorizer, decolorizing, delouse, depurate, deterge, dim, discolor, discoloration, drain, drain of color, dry-clean, dull, dust, dust off, etiolate, etiolation, expurgate, fade, fade out, fading, freshen, frost, fume, grizzle, grow pale, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, lighten, lightening, lime, lose color, lustrate, madder bleach, market bleach, nitrogen tetroxide, oxalic acid, pale, paling, peroxide, purge, purify, reform, scavenge, silver, sodium hypochlorite, sour, spruce, steam-clean, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, sweep out, sweeten, tarnish, tidy, tone down, turn pale, turn white, wan, wash out, white, white sour, whiten, whitening, wipe, wipe off, wipe out, wipe up