Faucet
/ˈfɔː.sɪt/noun
A device that controls the flow of liquid from a pipe or container.
Did you know?Its earliest ancestor, Latin *faux* (“throat”), makes the faucet basically a “little throat” for water — a surprisingly bodily image for something so ordinary.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
faux, fauces
“throat; gullet; narrow opening”
Late Latin
Latin
faucetum
“a small spout or pipe”
Old French
Old French
fausset
“a tap, spigot, or small wooden peg used to stop a cask”
Middle English
English
faucet
“a tap or spigot”
Modern English
English
faucet
“a device that controls the flow of liquid from a pipe or container”
Explore more surprising origins