bucket
/ˈbʌkɪt/
noun
Origin
Old Northern French
buquet — tub, pail
Overview
Meaning Now
- A roughly cylindrical open container, typically made of metal or plastic, used to hold or carry liquids or other materials.
- The quantity of substance that a bucket can hold.
Literal older meaning
a small container, specifically a tub or pail
Language path
Old Northern French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
buket
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The term 'bucket' entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman sources. It is closely related to the Old English word 'buc', meaning pitcher or belly, highlighting the ancient connection between containers and rounded, belly-like shapes.
Evolution
- Frankish
*buk
“belly, torso”
Original Germanic base referring to a rounded container.
- Old Northern French
buquet
“small tub or pail”
Diminutive form derived from an assumed Germanic base.
- Middle English
buket
“vessel for drawing water”
Borrowed into English after the Norman Conquest.
Connections
Word parts
bucket
root
vessel for liquid
Related across languages
Middle Dutch
buken
a belly-like container
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Related to bucket
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.