From Old English blǣcan 'to whiten,' from Proto-Germanic *blaikaz 'pale, shining' — bleachers are seats bleached by the sun.
A chemical agent used to whiten or remove color from materials.
From Old English blǣcan 'to bleach, whiten,' from Proto-Germanic *blaikjaną, from *blaikaz 'pale, white, shining.' The same root gives us 'bleak' (originally 'pale, wan'). Before chemical bleach, fabrics were whitened by spreading them on grass in sunlight — a process called 'bleaching.' Key roots: *bʰleyǵ- (Proto-Indo-European: "to shine, gleam").