a little more on "baptizo"

These quotes are from an article by G.R. Beasley-Murray in "The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology" edited by Colin Brown.

"...baptizo is an intensive form of bapto and means (a) dip, and (b) cause to perish (as by drowning a man or sinking a ship). While there is some evidence that bapto was occasionally used in secular Greek of a ritual bath, there is none to show that baptizo was so employed (perhaps because of its association with the idea of perishing)...."

"...6. The nouns baptismos, baptisma and baptistes. (a) baptismos, dipping, immersion, has in the classical literature the connotation of perishing,like the vb. baptizo...."