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Where does the word "basin" come from? It comes from Late Latin baccinum, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "basin" come from? It comes from Late Latin baccinum, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Basin’s story begins in Late Latin: baccinum meant “water vessel.” Possibly a Gaulish word. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as bacin. A wide bowl for washing. It reached English by 1200s as basin. River 'basins' date from the 1800s. Today, basin means a wide bowl; a region drained by a river.
- Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient baccinum "water vessel", possibly a Gaulish word.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval bacin "bowl", a wide bowl for washing.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s basin "bowl", river 'basins' date from the 1800s.