/ beɪð; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to wash sth with water, especially a part of your body :
Bathe the wound and apply a clean dressing.
➡ note at clean
2.
( NAmE ) = bath : [ vn ]
Have you bathed the baby yet?
[ v ]
I bathe every day.
➡ note at bath
3.
[ v ] ( old-fashioned ) to go swimming in the sea, a river, etc. for enjoyment
—see also sunbathe
4.
[ vn ] bathe sth (in sth) ( literary ) to fill or cover sth with light :
The moon bathed the countryside in a silver light.
■ noun
[ sing. ] ( BrE , formal ) an act of swimming in the sea, a river, etc. :
to go for a bathe
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English bathian , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German baden .