scuba

Where does the word "scuba" come from? It comes from American English SCUBA, and was adopted directly into English (1950s).

Scuba’s story begins in American English: SCUBA meant “diver's breathing apparatus.” Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, coined in 1952 by Christian Lambertsen, whose rebreather had equipped US combat swimmers in World War II. It reached English by 1950s as scuba. Soon lower-cased and used for Jacques Cousteau and Émile Gagnan's Aqua-Lung, the open-circuit gear they perfected in 1943. Today, scuba means an aqualung; diving with one.

1. Stage 1 · American English · 1952 SCUBA "diver's breathing apparatus", Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, coined in 1952 by Christian Lambertsen, whose rebreather had equipped US combat swimmers in World War II.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1950s scuba "underwater breathing gear", soon lower-cased and used for Jacques Cousteau and Émile Gagnan's Aqua-Lung, the open-circuit gear they perfected in 1943.