Etymograph

English

bathing

Bathing comes from Middle English bathynge ‘the process of bathing, especially for…’, from bathen ‘to bath or wash’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- ‘to foment, warm’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₁-1‘to foment, warm’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₁-tó-s1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baþą2‘bath’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baþōną3‘to bathe’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*baþōn3‘to bathe’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150baþian3‘to bathe’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bathen4‘to bath or wash’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bathynge5‘the process of bathing, especially for medicinal purposes’
  9. Englishtodaybathing5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *baþą, which cites Kroonen
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *baþōną
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Middle English bathen
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Middle English bathynge
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English bathing

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰeh₁-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *baþą, which cites Kroonen‘to foment, warm’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰh₁-tó-sWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *baþą, which cites Kroonenreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baþąWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *baþōną‘bath’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*baþōnąWiktionary, Middle English bathen‘to bathe’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*baþōnWiktionary, Middle English bathen‘to bathe’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150baþianWiktionary, Middle English bathen‘to bathe’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bathenWiktionary, Middle English bathynge‘to bath or wash’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500bathyngeWiktionary, English bathing‘the process of bathing, especially for medicinal purposes’
  9. EnglishtodaybathingWiktionary, English bathing

Formed from bathe + -ing

Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- ‘to warm’

Proto-Germanic *baþōną ‘to bathe’

Proto-West Germanic *baþōn ‘to bathe’

Old English baþian ‘to bathe, wash’

Middle English bathen ‘to bath or wash’

English bathe

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- ‘to foment, warm’

bed, 3 more

through Middle English bathen ‘to bath or wash’

bathe

Today it means

noun The act of taking a bath.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “bathing”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *baþą, Proto-Germanic *baþōną, Middle English bathen, Middle English bathynge. 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 *bʰeh₁- / bathing

Shirt and support for this word