Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “backwash” come from?

Backwash comes from English back and wash, with back deriving from French bac, Old English wascan, Old Swedish nattbakka, Latin bassus, Ancient Greek βάσις, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis meaning "step" or "base."

backwash (English): The backward flow of water from oars or propeller...

Definitions

  1. The backward flow of water from oars or propeller...

Ancestry of “backwash”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbackNear the rear; Not current; Far from the main...
2Frenchbacferry; vat; high school exit exam in France; A...
3Frenchbaccalauréatbaccalaureat; bachelor's degree
4Medieval Latinbaccalaureatusbachelor's degree
5Latinbaccalaureusbachelor
6Latinlaurealaurel, bay tree; crown, wreath or branch of...
7Latinlauruslaurel tree; laurels; a crown of laurel
8English-aceousOf, relating to, resembling or containing the...
9Latin-āceus—
10Latin-āx—
11Latin-iumSuffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes...
12Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
13Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
14Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →