clorox
clorox Lexical Profile
• noun
American A specific commercial brand of cleaning and disinfecting products, most notably sodium hypochlorite bleach.
"We need to stop by the store to buy a new jug of Clorox before we scrub the bathroom."
North American Any liquid household bleach used for whitening fabrics, removing stains, or disinfecting surfaces, regardless of the actual brand.
"She poured a cup of clorox into the washing machine to make the white towels brighter."
Word Nuance & Usage
Clorox is officially a registered trademark, but in North American English, it is frequently used as a genericized noun to refer to any liquid household bleach.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1913 by the Electro-Alkaline Company for their bleach product, the name is a portmanteau derived from its main active ingredients: chlorine and sodium hydroxide.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.