bath
An act of washing the body; a tub or pool for bathing.
Etymology
Modern English bath comes from Old English bæþ "bath, washing, immersion," from Proto-Germanic *baþą, from PIE *bʰeh₂- meaning "to warm." The original sense was of warming water for bathing — a bath was fundamentally a hot water experience. The same root produced Latin fovēre "to warm, to cherish" (giving English foment) and possibly Greek phōleós "den" (a warm hiding place). German Bad "bath" (as in Baden-Baden, literally "baths-baths") and Old Norse bað are direct cognates. Within English, bathe is a verb derivative, and the city of Bath takes its name from its famous hot springs, known since Roman times as Aquae Sulis. The phrase "throw the baby out with the bathwater" dates to the 16th century. The connection between warmth and cleansing is ancient and cross-cultural.
The Journey: *bʰeh₂- → bath
*bʰeh₂-
*baþą
bæþ
bath
bath
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *bʰeh₂-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| German | Bad | bath |
| Old Norse | bað | bath |
| Latin | fovēre | to warm |
| Old High German | bad | bath |
| Icelandic | bað | bath |
Did You Know?
The German spa town Baden-Baden is literally named "Baths-Baths" — a tautological name from the same PIE root as English bath. The English city of Bath was named Aquae Sulis ("waters of Sulis") by the Romans, but took its English name from the same ancient word for warm water that has barely changed since Proto-Germanic.