Why do they call it a bathing suit, if you don't wear it to take a bath?

[humanearth]

This is the womens style

Believe it or not, but this is the new men's version from Adidas

The way it used to be

[Wraith_Cemetery]

Because they were the clothes you'd wear to the ancient city of Bath in Somerset England, where people would dip into the ancient natural hot springs. Eventually those clothes were called "Bathing Suits". The name stuck and we still use it generally today.

Kinda like how all couches were called "Chesterfields" and all tissues are called "Kleenex", all plasters called "Band-Aids" despite it being a "brand name".

[humanearth]

Like for adjustable wrench people also called "crescent wrenches" or "spanners,"

[AviatorTom]

It is derived from the German word “bad” meaning “bath”, and the Old English term “bæŏ” denoting “the immersion of a body in water”, or “a quantity of water for bathing”.

[Jazzy54]

I could be wrong, but I think it’s intended to mean sunbathing suits. I don’t know, lol.

[humanearth]

The reason don't matter, I just had to think of something stupid to ask

[NotInterestedSorry]

We used to call them costumes

[Christoff92]

Just a original nickname to a bikini and shorts.

[annabananna]

You sunbathe in it.