Where does “mouthwash” come from?
Mouthwash is a compound of mouth, from Old English mūþ, and wash, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wey-.
mouthwash (English): A liquid used to clean one's mouth
Definitions
- A liquid used to clean one's mouth
Ancestry of “mouthwash”, step by step
mouthwash traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wash
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | wash | To clean with water; To move or erode by the... |
| 2 | Middle English | washen | — |
| 3 | Old English | wasċan | to wash |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | waskan | to wash |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | waskaną | to wash |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | watskaną | to wash, get wet |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wed- | water |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |
via English mouth
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mouth | The opening of a creature through which food is... |
| 2 | Middle English | mouþ | Alternative form of mouth |
| 3 | Old English | mūþ | mouth, opening, door, gate |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *munþ | mouth |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | munþaz | mouth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |