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Where does the word "bucket" come from? It comes from Old English buc, passing through Anglo-French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "bucket" come from? It comes from Old English buc, passing through Anglo-French before entering English (1200s).
Bucket’s story begins in Old English: buc meant “belly, trunk.” An Old English word that blended with Anglo-Norman 'buquet'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Anglo-French as buket. Used for a washtub or pail. It reached English by 1200s as bucket. 'kick the bucket' dates from the 1700s. Today, bucket means an open container with a handle for carrying liquid.
- Stage 1 · Old English · medieval buc "belly, trunk", an Old English word that blended with Anglo-Norman 'buquet'.
- Stage 2 · Anglo-French · medieval buket "pail, tub", used for a washtub or pail.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s bucket "a pail", 'kick the bucket' dates from the 1700s.