a large container, usually fixed in a bathroom, that you fill with water and sit or lie in to wash your body
The little boy splashed happily in the warm bath.
They installed a deep, modern bath during their home renovation.
✦ Old English bæth, of Germanic origin, related to the verb bathe.
an act of washing your body in water, usually by sitting in a tub
Dad gives the baby a bath every evening before bedtime.
After soccer practice, Liam couldn’t wait to take a long hot bath.
✦ Sense extended from the container to the act of washing around the 14th century.
to wash someone, especially a baby or child, in a bath
I usually bath the twins after dinner.
The nurse will bath the elderly patient this afternoon.
✦ Verb use developed in Middle English from the noun "bath".
a container or amount of liquid in which something is placed for cleaning, chemical treatment, or other processing
The photographer dipped the film into a chemical bath to develop the images.
Metal parts were placed in an acid bath to remove rust.
✦ Technical sense arose in the 19th century with the expansion of industrial chemistry.
a unit of liquid measure used in ancient Hebrew texts, roughly equal to 22 litres (about 6 gallons)
The prophet ordered wine measured in a bath for the ceremony.
Scholars debate the exact volume of a Biblical bath.
✦ From biblical Hebrew ‘bath’, adopted into English Bible translations in the 16th century.
a room in a house or other building where you wash, usually containing a bath or shower and often a toilet and sink
She painted the bathroom walls a calming shade of green.
After playing in the mud, the kids hurried to the bathroom to wash their hands.
✦ From bath + room; first recorded in the 18th century when indoor bathing rooms became common.
in North American English, a polite word for a room with a toilet, especially in public places
Excuse me, where is the nearest bathroom?
A sign directed visitors to the public bathroom behind the cafeteria.
✦ Sense extended in American English during the 20th century as a polite substitute for "toilet" in public settings.
a historic city in southwest England famous for its Roman hot springs and Georgian architecture
We visited Bath to see the ancient Roman baths and the Abbey.
Bath is known for its elegant Georgian crescents.
✦ Named by the Romans for the hot springs that supplied their baths.
