bath

¹

[bath, bahth]

noun

plural

baths 

1. a washing or immersion of something, especially the body, in water, steam, etc., as for cleansing or medical treatment.

   I take a bath every day. Give the dog a bath.

2. a quantity of water or other liquid used for this purpose.

   running a bath.

3. a container for water or other cleansing liquid, as a bathtub.

4. a room equipped for bathing; bathroom.

   The house has two baths.

5. a building containing rooms or apartments with equipment for bathing; bathhouse.

6. Often baths one of the elaborate bathing establishments of the ancients.

   the baths of Caracalla.

7. Usually baths a town or resort visited for medical treatment by bathing or the like; spa.

8. a preparation, as an acid solution, in which something is immersed.

9. the container for such a preparation.

10. a device for controlling the temperature of something by the use of a surrounding medium, as sand, water, oil, etc.

11. Metallurgy.

    1. the depressed hearth of a steelmaking furnace.

    2. the molten metal being made into steel in a steelmaking furnace.

12. the state of being covered by a liquid, as perspiration.

    in a bath of sweat.

verb (used with or without object)

Chiefly British.

bathed, bathing 

1. to wash or soak in a bath.

bath

²

[bath]

noun

1. a Hebrew unit of liquid measure, equal to a quantity varying between 10 and 11 U.S. gallons (38 and 42 liters).

Bath

³

[bath, bahth]

noun

1. a city in Avon, in SW England: mineral springs.

2. a seaport in SW Maine.

bath

¹

/ bɑːθ /

noun

1. a large container, esp one made of enamelled iron or plastic, used for washing or medically treating the body

2. the act or an instance of washing in such a container

3. the amount of liquid contained in a bath

4. to turn on the taps to fill a bath with water for bathing oneself

5. (usually plural) a place that provides baths or a swimming pool for public use

6. 1. a vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature, to process it photographically, electrolytically, etc, or to lubricate it

   2. the liquid used in such a vessel

verb

1. to wash in a bath

Ba'th

²

/ bɑːθ /

noun

1. an Arab Socialist party, esp in Iraq and Syria, founded by Michel Aflaq in 1941. It attempts to combine Marxism with pan-Islamic nationalism

Bath

³

/ bɑːθ /

noun

1. Latin name: Aquae Sulis. a city in SW England, in Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, on the River Avon: famous for its hot springs; a fashionable spa in the 18th century; Roman remains, notably the baths; university (1966). Pop: 90 144 (2001)

bath

⁴

/ bæθ /

noun

1. an ancient Hebrew unit of liquid measure equal to about 8.3 Imperial gallons or 10 US gallons

Other Word Forms

• bathless adjective
• Ba′thism noun
• Ba′thi adjective
• Ba′thist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bath¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun bath, beth, beath, Old English bæth; cognate with Old Frisian beth, Old Saxon, Old Norse bath, German Bad; from Germanic bátha-n “what is warmed,” from a root meaning “to warm”

Origin of bath²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bath(us), batus, from Latin batus, from Greek bátos, from Hebrew bath

Word History and Origins

Origin of bath¹

Old English bæth ; compare Old High German bad , Old Norse bath ; related to Swedish basa to clean with warm water, Old High German bāen to warm

Origin of bath²

C20: from Arabic: resurgence

Origin of bath³

Hebrew

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take a bath, to suffer a large financial loss.

   Many investors are taking a bath on their bond investments.

see take a bath; throw out the baby with the bath water.

Example Sentences

Last month, he sat down for a tongue bath of an interview with Carlson, which the former Fox News host justified by bluntly declaring Fuentes’ popularity demanded it.

Read more on Salon

Highlights include a chef’s kitchen with custom cabinets and high-end appliances, a primary suite with a spa-inspired bath and serene views, a tricked-out gym, and a den with a built-in bar.

Read more on MarketWatch

They took their baths and made their beds and put their toys back in the toy chest before bedtime, for that is what Lumawoo would have wanted.

Read more on Literature

Bear in mind that this is advanced mathematics; most of us will never need worry about the volume of old Greek men in the bath.

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Nor was there a get well soon card the time when Penelope had chicken pox and had to spend three days taking warm milk baths to stop the dreadful itching.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• bathroom 
• lavatory 
• restroom 
• sauna 
• shower 
• toilet