The study of English words in terms of etymology has a long history, going back over 110 years since Murray et al. (1884). Scholars have therefore had lots of time to gather all kind of information on the origin of English words. In fact, Modern English is the product of a long and complex process of historical developments from a great diversity of sources. The origins and development of English words meaning ‘a vessel for washing, a bath or a toilet’ are traced from Old English to the twentieth century in this paper in terms of the semantic and/or conceptual categories of the words with their particular senses. We conclude this paper with a brief discussion of how the teaching of English words can give some feedback to both teachers and students under the circumstances of English education in Korea and/or how we come to a better understanding of this charming field of English etymology in its own right.