lavatory
English
editAlternative forms
editPronunciation
edit- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈlæv.ə.tɹi/, /ˈlæv.ə.təɹ.i/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈlæv.ə.tɔɹ.i/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Etymology 1
editFrom Middle English lavatorie, from Late Latin lavātōrium, from Latin lavāre (“to wash”) + -ium (forming places related to an activity). Doublet of lavatorium. As a place to pan gold, via Spanish lavadero.[1] See also lave.
Noun
editlavatory (plural lavatories)
- A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly:
- A laver: a washbasin.
- (archaic) A bathtub.
- (Christianity) A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.
- (Christianity) A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before handling the Eucharist.
- (Christianity, usually figurative) A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used figuratively for the washing away of sins.
- (construction, interior design) A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.
- Their 'bathroom' included a toilet and a lavatory but no bath.
- 2005, Michael W. Litchfield, Renovation, page 325:
- Lavatories (bathroom sinks) are available in a blizzard of colors, materials, and styles.
- 2011, Sharon Koomen Harmon et al., The Codes Guidebook for Interiors, page 288::
- Anywhere a water closet is used, a lavatory (ie, hand-washing sink) must also be installed.
- Handwashing as an act, particularly
- 1513, Robert Fabyan, last will and testament:
- (obsolete) A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse.
- 1490, Publius Vergilius Maro, chapter XXVIII, in William Caxton, transl., The Boke yf Eneydos, page 110:
- (dated) A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands.
- 2003, Gauvin A. Bailey, Between Renaissance and Baroque: Jesuit Art in Rome, 1565-1610, page 61:
- Even the lavatory, a vestibule to the refectory through which the novices would pass on their way to the recreation room, boasted a painting cycle.
- (euphemistic) A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK).
- 2003, Rob Rachowiecki et al., Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, page 44:
- People needing to use the lavatory often ask to use the baño in a restaurant; toilet paper is rarely available, so the experienced traveler always carries a personal supply.
- 2014, “Verbatim Comments”, in Corey, Canapary & Galanis, editor, Caltrain 2014 On-Board Survey[1], Caltrain, retrieved 2023-07-30, page 1:
- THE RESTROOM ON THE OLDER TRAINS ARE TOO SMALL FOR AN ADULT. ONE CAN'T USE THE TOILET WITHOUT CONSTANTLY ELBOWING THE WALL. AIRPLANES HAVE LARGER LAVATORIES AND A BETTER USEABLE FAUCET.
- (UK, New England) A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.
- 1997, Slavoj Žižek, The Plague of Fantasies, page 4:
- In a traditional German lavatory, the hole in which shit disappears after we flush water is way in front, so that the shit is first laid out for us to sniff at and inspect for traces of some illness; in the typical French lavatory, on the contrary, the hole is in the back - that is, the shit is supposed to disappear as soon as possible; finally, the Anglo-Saxon (English or American) lavatory presents a kind of synthesis, a mediation between these two opposed poles - the basin is full of water so that the shit floats in it - visible, but not to be inspected.
- (dated) A place to wash clothes: a laundry.
- (obsolete) A place where gold is panned.
- (obsolete) A paved room in a mortuary where corpses are kept under a shower of disinfecting fluid.
Usage notes
editThe euphemism for a room containing a toilet frequently refers to an aircraft lavatory or passenger train toilet.
Synonyms
edit- (basin for washing hands): See washbasin
- (fixture for washing hands): See sink
- (room with a toilet): See Thesaurus:bathroom
- (toilet): See Thesaurus:toilet
Derived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editsink — see sink
toilet — see toilet
Etymology 2
editFrom Latin lavātōrius.[2]
Adjective
editlavatory (not comparable)
- (dated) Washing, or cleansing by washing.
Related terms
editReferences
edit- ^ "lavatory, n." in the Oxford English Dictionary (1902), Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- ^ “lavatory, adj.”, in OED Online , Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- “lavatory”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “lavatory”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
French
editEtymology
editBorrowed from English lavatory.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editlavatory m (plural lavatories)
Further reading
edit- “lavatory”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle English
editNoun
editlavatory
- Alternative form of lavatorie
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