What is the Latin word for whiten?

The usual Latin words for “whiten” are dealbō, albēscō, inalbēscō; also cānēscō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“whiten” in Latin

dealbōto whitewash; to plaster, parget; to purify, cleanse albēscōto become white, pale; to gleam; to dawn inalbēscōto become pale; to fade cānēscōto whiten, become white; to become grey or hoary; to grow old

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

whiten

Transitively, dealbare: album addere (in vestimentum).

Intransitively, albescere (Plin., Hor., Ov.): inalbescere (Cels.): canescere (of hair; Plin.).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for whiten?: The usual Latin words for “whiten” are dealbō, albēscō, inalbēscō; also cānēscō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.