Sp. bata (was Re: oldest places- and watername in Scandinavia)

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Rick McCallister <gabaroo6958@...> wrote:

> --- On Sun, 11/9/08, Brian M. Scott <BMScott@...> wrote:
>
> > Or early (but post-Grimm) borrowings from Latin (probably
> > *punda 'pound', *katilaz 'kettle', the
> > *kaup- family), or
> > the pre-Grimm borrowing *paido: 'cloak' (cf. Gk.
> > <baíte:> 'a
> > shepherd's cloak') from some eastern language.
> >
> > Brian
>
> Would this be the same word as Spanish bata "robe, nightgown" via

Arabic? Is it originally from Persian?

>

****
DICCIONARIO DE LA LENGUA ESPAÑOLA http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/
says bata is "del fr. ouate". In turn Wiktionary
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ouate
informs me this means "cotton wool" and is possibly from Egyptian
(sorry, can't copy the Arabic), to lay, to place.
Seems more likely to me that the Sp. and Fr. words derive
independently from the Arabic, but who am I to argue
with the REAL ACADEMIA ESPAÑOLA?
Dan