Etymograph

English

basin

Basin comes from Old French bacin, from Vulgar Latin *baccinum ‘wide bowl’, and ultimately from Proto-Celtic *baskis ‘bundle’.

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*baskis‘bundle’reconstructed
  2. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CEsame formreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbacca
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*baccinum‘wide bowl’reconstructed
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bacin
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500basyn‘a basin-shaped gong’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592basin

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*baskis‘bundle’reconstructed
  2. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CEsame formreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbacca
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*baccinum‘wide bowl’reconstructed
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400bacin
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500basyn‘a basin-shaped gong’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592basin

Earliest quotation: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “First, as you know, my house within the city…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰask- ‘bundle’

packing, packer, bast

through Proto-Celtic *baskis ‘bundle’

pack, basket, 2 more

through Old French bacin

baste

Today it means

noun A wide bowl for washing, sometimes affixed to a wall.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Celtic *baskis / basin

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