Washing Machine
/ˈwɒʃɪŋ məˌʃiːn/noun
An appliance that cleans clothes and other fabrics using water, detergent, and mechanical action.
Did you know?The Greek ancestor of “machine,” mēkhanē, was used for stage devices that lowered gods onto the theater—giving us the phrase deus ex machina, literally “god from the machine.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*waskijaną
“To wash or cleanse with water”
Old English
OE
wascan
“To wash, rinse, or cleanse”
Middle English
ME
washen
“To wash; the form later developed into the modern verb “wash””
Ancient Greek
Greek
mēkhanē
“A contrivance, device, or ingenious means; also a theater apparatus”
Latin
Latin
machina
“A machine, engine, or device”
16th Century
English
machine
“A mechanical device or constructed apparatus”
19th–20th Century
English
washing machine
“A household mechanical appliance for washing clothes”