Where does “polar bear plunge” come from?

polar bear plunge (English) comes from English plunge, from Middle English plungen, from Old French plungier, from Old French plongier, from Latin plumbicare, from Latin plumbum, from Ancient Greek μόλυβδος, from Proto-Indo-European morkʷ-iyo-.

polar bear plunge (English): An outdoor plunge or swim in the middle of winter, often through ice

Definitions

  1. An outdoor plunge or swim in the middle of winter, often through ice

Ancestry of “polar bear plunge”, step by step

polar bear plunge traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English plunge

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishplungeTo thrust into liquid, or into any penetrable...
2Middle Englishplungen
3Old FrenchplungierAlternative form of plongier
4Old Frenchplongierto dive; to plunge; to press in; to push in; to...
5Latinplumbicare
6Latinplumbumlead; ball of lead; pipe of lead
7Ancient Greekμόλυβδοςlead; graphite
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmorkʷ-iyo-

via English polar bear

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishpolar bearA very large bear, "Ursus maritimus" found in the...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European morkʷ-iyo-Every word from Ancient Greek μόλυβδοςEvery word from Latin plumbum