Late Middle English; earliest use found in Guy de Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie. From classical Latin absters-, past participial stem of abstergēreabsterge.
Definition of absterse in US English:
absterse
verb
rare, archaic
with object= absterge (literal and figurative).
Origin
Late Middle English; earliest use found in Guy de Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie. From classical Latin absters-, past participial stem of abstergēre absterge.