Etymograph

English

basin

Basin comes from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccinum ‘wide bowl’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰask- ‘bundle’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰask-1‘bundle’uncertain
  2. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*baskis2‘bundle’reconstructed
  3. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CE*baskis2reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbacca2
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*baccinum2‘wide bowl’reconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bacin2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500basyn2‘a basin-shaped gong’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592basin2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Celtic *baskis
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English basin
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “First, as you know, my house within the city…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰask-Wiktionary, Proto-Celtic *baskis‘bundle’uncertain
  2. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*baskisWiktionary, English basin‘bundle’reconstructed
  3. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CE*baskisWiktionary, English basinreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbaccaWiktionary, English basin
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*baccinumWiktionary, English basin‘wide bowl’reconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bacinWiktionary, English basin
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500basynWiktionary, English basin‘a basin-shaped gong’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592basinWiktionary, English basin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “First, as you know, my house within the city…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰask- ‘bundle’

packing, packer, bast

through Proto-Celtic *baskis ‘bundle’

pack, basket, 2 more

through Old French bacin

baste

Today it means

noun A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “basin”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Celtic *baskis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰask- / basin

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