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Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

bath or bathe

English answer:

bath (UK) / bathe (US)

Added to glossary by Patsy Florit
Aug 30, 2012 22:25
11 yrs ago
English term

bath or bathe

English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I´d like to know if it is old fashioned to say: " She baths him every morning." and what is the difference between bath and bathe.
Responses
4 +7 bath (UK) / bathe (US)
4 +2 bath is a noun, bathe is a verb

Discussion

claude-andrew Aug 31, 2012:
Googling between quotes "how to bathe a baby" and "how to bath a baby" shows that American English prefers "bathe" '(.com sites) while British, Australian and Canadian English (co.uk / .au / .ca sites) prefers "bath" (as verbs). And the pronunciation in British English uses the British vowel sound in "laugh" (and this in turn will vary regionally). I can't speak for American pronunciation!
William Murphy Aug 31, 2012:
@ B D Finch As a US EN speaker, I'd say/write:
I give the kids a bath.
I take a bath.
I swim in the sea.
I wash the cut with antiseptic.

* adding this because I forgot; 'bathe' is a wonderful verb but, I have to admit, I might write it but would never actually have occasion to say it.
B D Finch Aug 31, 2012:
Bathroom or sea? As a UK EN speaker, I'd say/write:
I bath the kids.
I take/have a bath.
I bathe in the sea.
I bathe the cut with antiseptic.

Collins Dictionary confirms that and also the different US usage.
Charles Davis Aug 30, 2012:
@ patsy That's right: in the past tense it's "bathed" for both verbs (bath and bathe), but the pronunciation changes (bɑːθt or bæθt / beɪðd). In fact "bath" is pronounced differently in different parts of the UK (bɑːθ in the south, bæθ in the north).

British speakers could say "bathe the kids in the same water", meaning immerse them in the same water, but if they mean giving them a bath they would say "bath the kids in the same water".
Patsy Florit (asker) Aug 30, 2012:
I´m sorry, I left out the word "yesterday" in the sentence. She bathed the kids in the same water yesterday.
Patsy Florit (asker) Aug 30, 2012:
I understand that the verb bath is more British than bathe. What happens with : She bathed the kids in the same water. The pronunciation would change, right?

Responses

+7
47 mins
Selected

bath (UK) / bathe (US)

"Bath" is of course a noun, and "bathe" a verb, but "bath" can also be a verb. As a British parent I can tell you for certain that we always said "to bath the children" and never "to bathe the children", but on looking it up I find that this is specifically British:

"bath
verb
(British) to wash in a bath"
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bath&quo...

"bath
verb
[with object] British
wash (someone) while immersing them in a bath:
how to bath a baby
[no object] wash oneself while immersed in a bath:
there was no hot water to bath in"
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/bath?view=u...

The Oxford entry just quoted shows that "bath" is also an intransitive verb meaning to have a bath (which is how you usually say it).

The American Merriam-Webster is also aware of this peculiarity of British speakers:

"bath
verb
transitive verb
British
: to give a bath to"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bath?show=1&t=1346...

Merriam-Webster also says that to bathe (instransitive) can mean "to take a bath". This is rarely said in British English.

It doesn't tell us what American parents do to their children at bath-time, but according to Macmillan they bathe them:

"bathe
1 [transitive] to wash someone in a bathtub
I'll bathe the baby for you."
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/bathe

Macmillan says this use of bathe is "mainly American".

So this is definitely a question in which the target makes a difference.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-08-30 23:27:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You specifically asked if it is old-fashioned to say "bath the children". I would say that in British English it's perfectly standard and quite current (and the dictionaries don't indicate otherwise). But as far as I can tell "bath" is not and never has been used as a verb in American English.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-08-30 23:33:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I've just seen that the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary says that "bath" (verb) is "old-fashioned"
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bath_2

I'd say it is old-fashioned when used intransitively ("he baths every morning"; you nearly always say "he has a bath every morning"), but not when used transitively: Cambridge's example, "I usually bath the kids in the evening", is not at all old-fashioned.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2012-08-31 00:39:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A Google search produces 480 results for "bath the kids" and 465 for "bathe the kids".
Peer comment(s):
agree Sarah Bessioud : As a modern British Mum, I still bath my children. We may, however, go to a nice peaceful lake or clean stream to bathe in the summer. But I would definitely NOT bathe the kids in the bath ;-)
5 hrs
Thank you very much! I am greatly relieved to see that I'm not alone :)
agree amarpaul : Correct for British English. Though, as Sheila notes above, 'gave the kid(s) a bath' would be more common. 'I bathed the kids' sounds ... quaint.
6 hrs
Thanks, amarpaul! Do you think so? I assure you it's still quite normal in Britain, as Jeux de Mots (and a number of British mums' forums) will confirm! (By the way, I did also note that it's "bathe" in American English.)
agree Tony M : In BE, it is 'bathe' that risks sounding quaint; but do note 'bathe the wound in disinfectant'
6 hrs
Thanks, Tony! Yes, quite true. As you can tell from my answer, I was surprised to find that Americans bathe their children in the bathtub. I nearly always learn something by answering these questions!
agree Jack Doughty
8 hrs
Thanks, Jack!
agree B D Finch : Though in UK EN one does bathe in the sea or a river. Bathing is more about relaxation and immersion and bathing is more about getting clean perhaps?
13 hrs
Thanks. I should have mentioned that. We do bathe (intransitively) when we go swimming, but to bath (oneself or someone else) requires a bath. (I must admit that I've often done it as much for relaxation as for getting clean.)
agree Yvonne Gallagher : agree with BDF "bathe in the sea" or "bathe a cut with..." but "bath the kids" in UK English
13 hrs
Absolutely! Thanks, gallagy :)
agree AllegroTrans
15 hrs
Thanks, Allegro
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This is the most suitable answer for me. Thanks."
+2
3 mins

bath is a noun, bathe is a verb

See references for further explanations
Reference:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bath?s=t

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bathe?s=t

Peer comment(s):
agree Monica Colangelo
2 mins
thank you!
agree Veronika McLaren
9 mins
thank you!
agree Sheila Wilson : "give him a bath" is more usual nowadays; "bathe him" is less usual but still correct
12 mins
true! Thank you!
agree wenkost
1 hr
thank you!
agree airmailrpl : -
3 hrs
thank you!
disagree Tony M : 'bath' is a verb too, so your headword statement is not accurate.
7 hrs
disagree B D Finch : Agree with Tony. As UK EN speakers, we would bath the dog or the kids.
14 hrs
disagree Yvonne Gallagher : with Tony and BDF
14 hrs
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