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

Cawley described how one day she was lying in her bath in "absolute agony" and decided to look for support groups in the area and found Endometriosis UK.

Read more on BBC

"I can't look in the mirror at myself after having a bath because the scar is just a constant reminder that it's horrific."

Read more on BBC

I asked ChatGPT, too, and it spit out a whole seminar on how to listen better and “consider her love language,” without so much as a one-click discounted bath bomb in sight.

Read more on Barron's

The living and dining areas are spacious and luxurious, and the primary suite offers a spa bath and impressive views of the New York City skyline.

Read more on MarketWatch

Usha Vance, the spokesperson insisted, is “a mother of three young children, who does a lot of dishes, gives lots of baths, and forgets her ring sometimes.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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