bathe
bathe
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
The IPA phonetic spelling for bathe is /beɪð/.
It is a single-syllable word.
/b/: The 'b' sound as in ball.
/eɪ/: The long 'a' vowel sound as in day or weigh.
/ð/: The voiced 'th' sound as in this or mother.
Word Form Variations
Verb (Infinitive): bathe
Verb (3rd Person Singular): bathes
Verb (Past Tense): bathed
Verb (Past Participle): bathed
Verb (Present Participle / Gerund): bathing
Noun (related): bather (a person who bathes)
Noun (UK): bathe (plural: bathes)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
To wash oneself or another person in a container of water, typically a bathtub.
Synonyms: wash, clean, cleanse, soak
Antonyms: dirty, soil
To apply a liquid to something gently, often for cleansing or soothing.
Example: "You should bathe the wound with an antiseptic."
Synonyms: rinse, moisten, soak, wet
Antonyms: dry, dehydrate
To cover or surround something completely, as if immersing it in a liquid (often used for light or an emotion).
Example: "Sunlight bathed the room in a warm glow."
Synonyms: suffuse, cover, envelop, flood, immerse
Antonyms: drain, empty, uncover
(Chiefly British) To go swimming, especially in the sea, a lake, or a river.
Example: "The children love to bathe in the ocean during the summer."
Synonyms: swim, dip, paddle
Noun
(Chiefly British) The act of swimming or paddling in open water.
Example: "Let's go for a bathe."
Synonyms: swim, dip, paddle
Examples of Use
📚 Books & Literature
As a poetic description of light:
"The yucca and creosote plants were bathed in golden light." (Los Angeles Times, June 2023)In classic literature:
"Knowing the perfect fitness and equanimity of things, while they discuss I am silent, and go bathe and admire myself." (Walt Whitman, Song of Myself)
📰 Newspapers & Online Publications
Referring to cleansing a wound:
"Bathe the infected area in a salt solution." (Collins English Dictionary)Referring to swimming (British use):
"The police have warned the city's inhabitants not to bathe in the polluted river." (Collins English Dictionary)Describing being covered in light:
"Meanwhile, perhaps the most vivid and springlike color of the day was the green light that bathed the White House." (The Washington Post, March 2023)Referring to personal hygiene:
"People had to wait in lines for water to drink, cook, bathe and flush toilets." (The New York Times, July 2023)
🎤 Entertainment & Media
In song lyrics (metaphorical use):
"I only want to see you bathing in the purple rain." (Prince, "Purple Rain")In a movie (referring to cleansing):
"And Mando even gets to bathe in the famed Living Waters before the episode is even over." (Rolling Stone, March 2023, reviewing The Mandalorian)
🗣️ General Public Discourse
Common household use:
"It's your turn to bathe the dog this weekend."Giving instructions:
"After you bathe the baby, make sure to dry her off quickly so she doesn't get cold."
10 Famous Quotes Using Bathe
"Home in three days. Don't bathe." (Napoleon Bonaparte)
"Knowing the perfect fitness and equanimity of things, while they discuss I am silent, and go bathe and admire myself." (Walt Whitman, Song of Myself)
"I found the water so lovely I had to bathe." (Traditional French folk song, "À la claire fontaine")
"I wish you would take my radio to bathe with you." (Alkaline Trio, "Radio")
"Are we allowed to come bathe in the twilight." (The Movement, "Twilight")
"Why do we bathe children before bed, but wash ourselves in the morning?" (The Guardian, September 2023)
"He who would bathe in the river must not fear the spray." (German Proverb)
To bathe in the sea of knowledge, one must first be willing to get wet.
We bathe in the opinions of others, but must dry ourselves with our own towel.
Do not bathe today’s worries in the clean water of tomorrow.
Etymology
🏛️ The Origin of "Bathe"
The word bathe is very closely related to the word bath, and they both come from the same ancient root.
The word "bathe" is a verb (an action word) that comes directly from Old English, the language spoken in England over a thousand years ago.
In Old English, the noun (the thing) was bæth (pronounced like "bath"), which meant the act of washing or the hot water for washing.
To create the verb (the action), they took that noun bæth and added a common verb suffix, -ian. This created the Old English verb bathian (pronounced roughly "bath-ee-an"), which meant "to wash" or "to take a bath."
Over hundreds of years, as Old English evolved into Modern English, bathian smoothed out and simplified into our modern word "bathe."
This is why we have two separate but related words today:
Bath: The noun, with a short 'a' and a "th" sound like in "thin."
Bathe: The verb, with a long 'a' (like "bay") and a "th" sound like in "this."
🕰️ First Use and Meaning
First Known Use: The original form of the word, bathian, is very old. It first appeared in written texts before the 12th century (before the year 1100).
Original Meaning: Its meaning has stayed remarkably consistent. From its very first use, it meant "to wash in a liquid," "to take a bath," or "to moisten."
Phrases + Idioms Containing Bathe
To bathe in reflected glory: To feel successful or important because of your association with someone else who is successful.
To bathe in light (or sunlight): A common descriptive phrase meaning to be covered or flooded with light. (e.g., "The valley was bathed in morning sunlight.")
To bathe a wound: The act of gently cleaning an injury with liquid.
To go for a bathe: A (primarily British) phrase meaning to go for a swim.
A sun bathe: An alternative (and less common) way of saying "sunbathe."
Related Idioms Using Synonyms
Since "bathe" itself is not common in many idioms, here are several popular idioms that use its synonyms (like wash, soak, immerse) to convey a similar idea of being covered or cleansed.
To wash your hands of (something): To refuse to be responsible for or involved with something any longer.
It will all come out in the wash: The truth will eventually be known.
A complete washout: A total failure or disappointment.
To soak it all in: To absorb and appreciate an experience or information fully.
Soaked to the bone (or skin): To be completely drenched, usually by rain.
To immerse oneself in (something): To become completely involved in or focused on an activity or subject (e.g., "to immerse oneself in a new language").
Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater: Don't discard something valuable or good while trying to get rid of something bad.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of bathe from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
