Emily Dickinson Lexicon

WIPE, v.i. [Sax. wipian.]

1. To rub with something soft for cleaning; to clean by rubbing; as, to wipe the hands or face with a towel. Luke vii.
2. To strike off gently. Some nat'ral tears they dropp'd but wip'd them soon. – Milton.
3. To cleanse from evil practices or abuses; to overturn and destroy what is foul and hateful. I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish. – 2 Kings xxi.
4. To cheat; to defraud. – Spenser. To wipe away, to cleanse by rubbing or tersion; as, to wipe away a stain or reproach. To wipe off, to clear away. Wipe off this foul stain; wipe off the dust. To wipe out, to efface; to obliterate. Wipe out the blot.