Laver
/ˈleɪ.vər/noun
A seaweed used as food, or a basin used for washing, especially in biblical or ecclesiastical contexts.
Did you know?In the Hebrew Bible, the laver was a bronze basin at the Tabernacle where priests washed before performing sacred duties; the English word entered through Latin religious vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leuH-
“To wash or cleanse; the proposed ancient root behind the Latin washing family.”
Classical Latin
Latin
lavare
“To wash or bathe.”
Classical Latin
Latin
laver
“A kind of seaweed; the word is recorded in Roman natural-history vocabulary.”
Late Latin
Latin
lavatorium
“A place or vessel for washing.”
Middle English
English
laver
“A basin for washing, and also edible seaweed, inherited through French and Latin channels.”
Modern English
English
laver
“Seaweed eaten as food, or a ritual or ecclesiastical washing basin.”