One way to hold this word: a person goes down into water and comes back up. In the older picture they are lowered all the way under; in many churches today it is a small pour over the head, but the shape is the same. Something ends in the water and something starts. Everything the word does afterwards — belonging to a church, receiving a name, even naming a boat — hangs on that one moment of going in and coming out changed.
From the word’s history
Wiktionary traces baptize through Middle English baptisen and Old French baptiser to Late Latin baptizare, from Ancient Greek βαπτίζω (baptízō) 'to immerse, plunge, baptize'. The oldest meaning is simply putting something right under water, which is exactly the picture the modern senses still lean on.
來源字典把這個字從中古英文 baptisen、古法文 baptiser 一路接到晚期拉丁文 baptizare，再到古希臘文 βαπτίζω（baptízō），意思是「浸入、把東西壓進水裡」。最早的意思就只是把東西整個壓到水面下。今天的各種用法，靠的還是這個畫面。
Wiktionary 'baptize' etymology in the supplied packet (kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4): 'from Ancient Greek βαπτίζω (baptízō, to immerse, plunge, baptize).'
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