The most recent quotation listed by the OED is from 1817. And a Google search turns up only instances of the Latin word and definitions and quotations. I can’t find a recent original use. And yet, the word is not listed as obsolete, rare or archaic. Odd, neh? It’s another word that ought to get more use.
absterge, v.
To wipe away; to wipe clean; to cleanse; also fig. to purge.
Neh 