The word "BATH" as a verb

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi everyone

Could you please tell me if the British use "BATH" as a verb as commonly as the Americans us "BATHE"?

Thanks,

Tom

2

Hi Tom,

I would suggest that ‘take a bath’ is more usual.

Alan

3

“Take a bath” is more common in both countries, I guess.

4

“Take bath” has a narrower meaning than “bathe.” If you get into a tub in order to wash you are definitely taking a bath.
But you can bathe in the sunlight, bathe a wound with a medicine, or you can bathe in the ocean wearing a bathing suit. I do not think that any of these activities can be called “taking a bath.”

5

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Just to clear up a point:

  1. I’m bathing right now.-- right spelling
  2. I’m batheing right now-- wrong spelling.

Bathe (beið), bathed (beiðd), bathing (beiðiŋ/ (this is an intransitive verb and means ‘take a bath’).
Bath (bæθ), bathed (bæθt), bathing (bæθiŋ) (this is a transitive verb and means ‘give a bath’).
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6

Hi,

I’m totally lost here! To me ‘bathe’, which loses the ‘e’ in the present participle is another way of saying for example getting into the pool or sea for a swim or lying in the sun and you can also use it with an object as in ‘bathe a wound’ suggesting you gently wash a wound… ‘Bath’ is both intransitive and transitive - You can take a bath and you are therefore bathing or you can bath the baby - give the baby a bath.

Alan

7

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Sorry, I meant in its meaning of ‘take a bath’ it is intransitive-- but in AmE at least, that is ‘bathe’, not ‘bath’. They are 2 different verbs.
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