English word origin

Etymology of bash

From Middle English *basshen, *basken, likely from Old Norse *baska (“to strike”), akin to Swedish basa (“to baste, whip, lash, flog”), Danish baske (“to beat, strike, cudgel”), German patschen (“to slap”)

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A forceful blow or impact. · A large party; a gala event. · An attempt at doing something.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mention*basshenenm
Derivation mention*baskanon · to strike
Cognate mentionbasasv · to baste, whip, lash, flog
Cognate mentionbaskeda · to beat, strike, cudgel
Cognate mentionpatschende · to slap

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*basshen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *basshen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "*baska",
        "t": "to strike"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse *baska (“to strike”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "basa",
        "t": "to baste, whip, lash, flog"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish basa (“to baste, whip, lash, flog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "baske",
        "t": "to beat, strike, cudgel"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish baske (“to beat, strike, cudgel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "patschen",
        "t": "to slap"
      },
      "expansion": "German patschen (“to slap”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*basshen",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/basshen"
    ],
    [
      "*basken",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/basken"
    ],
    [
      "*baska",
      "Reconstruction:Old Norse/baska"
    ],
    [
      "basa",
      "basa#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "baske",
      "baske#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "patschen",
      "patschen#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A forceful blow or impact.",
        "A large party; a gala event.",
        "An attempt at doing something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "f68ace698cf99b4c00eeeb3084c4d37a00fae9f93aff009af908ad209603568f",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d5be80c600ab2da70da551d2dcfd6eb01093f8ddf1480eeb5a20a2c1a41e173a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 148186
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To strike heavily; to beat. · To collide. · To criticize harshly.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mention*basshenenm
Derivation mention*baskanon · to strike
Cognate mentionbasasv · to baste, whip, lash, flog
Cognate mentionbaskeda · to beat, strike, cudgel
Cognate mentionpatschende · to slap

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*basshen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *basshen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "*baska",
        "t": "to strike"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse *baska (“to strike”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "basa",
        "t": "to baste, whip, lash, flog"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish basa (“to baste, whip, lash, flog”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "baske",
        "t": "to beat, strike, cudgel"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish baske (“to beat, strike, cudgel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "patschen",
        "t": "to slap"
      },
      "expansion": "German patschen (“to slap”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*basshen",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/basshen"
    ],
    [
      "*basken",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/basken"
    ],
    [
      "*baska",
      "Reconstruction:Old Norse/baska"
    ],
    [
      "basa",
      "basa#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "baske",
      "baske#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "patschen",
      "patschen#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "bashen",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To strike heavily; to beat.",
        "To collide.",
        "To criticize harshly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "3d5c82abb502d144aef224832d074a06ee48b2396b2ba44ffb5c67b532e5d5a7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a0ba3b4872a0b4b309c3afa4d562ef9ece2128d07e127151ca6ee79ca71e57fd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 148185
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To abash (make ashamed)

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

From Middle English baschen, baissen. See abash.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionbaschenenm

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "baschen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English baschen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "baschen",
      "baschen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "baissen",
      "baissen#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "abash",
      "abash#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To abash (make ashamed)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "db818945e67601a45af670dc65567fa4e7aa04216901d81aae59e51581788170",
      "rawRecordSha256": "410a91497178380ea4425e3661ea4bf7079ad052346d85755438e6f5148ecfb4",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 148187
    }
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    "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 bash →

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-YmFzaA