Where does “wastebasket” come from?
Wastebasket comes from English waste and Middle English basket, from Old French bascat, from Proto-Celtic baski, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰask-.
wastebasket (English): A usually small indoor receptacle for items that...
Definitions
- A usually small indoor receptacle for items that...
Ancestry of “wastebasket”, step by step
wastebasket traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English basket
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | basket | A lightweight container, generally round, open at... |
| 2 | Middle English | basket | A basket; The amount that fits in a basket |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman French | bascat | — |
| 4 | Late Latin | bascauda | kettle, table-vessel |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | baski | bundle, load |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰask- | bundle, band |