An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/waschen

by Friedrich Kluge

waschen, verb, ‘to wash,’ from the equivalent Middle High German waschen (węschen), Old High German wascan, strong verb; compare Dutch wasschen, Anglo-Saxon wasčan, English to wash, Old Icelandic vaska (Gothic *waskan), ‘to wash.’ The sk of the old forms was originally only a part of the present stem, but was afterwards joined to the base; it may have been preceded by a dental. Teutonic *watska- probably based on the Teutonic nominal stem wat, ‘water’ (see Wasser); compare Old Irish usce, ‘water’ Irish faiscim, Welsh gwasgu, ‘I press,’ may, however, with equal reason, be connected with waschen.