Where does “bathwater” come from?
Bathwater combines English bath (from Old English bæþ, from Hebrew בַּת) and water (from Proto-West Germanic watar, from Proto-Germanic watōr, from Proto-Indo-European wed-, meaning "wet").
bathwater (English): The water used in a bath
Ancestry of “bathwater”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | water | A substance found at room temperature and... |
| 2 | Middle English | water | water; water vapour, condensation; lake, pond,... |
| 3 | Old English | wæter | water |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | watar | water |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | watōr | water |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wódr̥ | water |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wed- | water |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |