*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of awash

Etymology tree English a- Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *wodsḱéti Proto-Germanic *waskaną Proto-West Germanic *waskan Old English wascan Middle English waschen English wash Eng

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Washed by the waves or tide (of a rock or strip of shore, or of an anchor, etc., when flush with the surface of the water, so that the waves break over it); covered with water. · Covered, overspread (with or in something).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree English a- Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *wodsḱéti Proto-Germanic *waskaną Proto-West Germanic *waskan Old English wascan Middle English waschen English wash English awash From a- + wash.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a-<id:on>",
        "4": "wash",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nEnglish a-\nProto-Indo-European *wed-\nProto-Indo-European *-sḱéti\nProto-Indo-European *wodsḱéti\nProto-Germanic *waskaną\nProto-West Germanic *waskan\nOld English wascan\nMiddle English waschen\nEnglish wash\nEnglish awash\n[Appendix:Glossary#inherited|Inherited]] from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*waskaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*waskan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"wascan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"waschen\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"wash\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"awash\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"awash\">\nFrom a- + wash."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":af",
        "3": "a-<id:on>",
        "4": "wash",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂en-der.\nProto-Germanic *an\nProto-West Germanic *ana\nOld English on\nMiddle English an\nMiddle English a-\nEnglish a-\nProto-Indo-European *wed-\nProto-Indo-European *-sḱéti\nProto-Indo-European *wodsḱéti\nProto-Germanic *waskaną\nProto-West Germanic *waskan\nOld English wascan\nMiddle English waschen\nEnglish wash\nEnglish awash\nFrom a- + wash."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "*wed-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wed-"
    ],
    [
      "*-sḱéti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-sḱéti"
    ],
    [
      "*waskaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/waskaną"
    ],
    [
      "*waskan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/waskan"
    ],
    [
      "wascan",
      "wascan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "waschen",
      "waschen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wash",
      "wash#English"
    ],
    [
      "a-",
      "a-#English:_on"
    ],
    [
      "wash",
      "wash#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Washed by the waves or tide (of a rock or strip of shore, or of an anchor, etc., when flush with the surface of the water, so that the waves break over it); covered with water.",
        "Covered, overspread (with or in something)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "5ded2bdc2bdfbcb1fd76d07f1fe016785a1419f2804c92fac6ed4c03065e9a91",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203953
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for awash →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXdhc2g