LAVATORY

toilet, lavatory, lav, can, john, privy, bathroom

(noun) a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

washbasin, basin, washbowl, washstand, lavatory

(noun) a bathroom sink that is permanently installed and connected to a water supply and drainpipe; where you can wash your hands and face; “he ran some water in the basin and splashed it on his face”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

lavatory (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.

Handwashing, particularly

(Christianity) The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling the eucharist.

(Christianity) The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to clean the communion vessels.

(obsolete) A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse.

(dated) A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands.

(euphemism) A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK).

(UK, New England) A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.

(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.

Synonyms

• (basin for washing hands): See washbasin

• (fixture for washing hands): See sink

• (room with a toilet): See bathroom

• (toilet): See toilet

Adjective

lavatory (not comparable)

(dated) Washing, or cleansing by washing.

Source: Wiktionary


Lav"a*to*ry, a.

Definition: Washing, or cleansing by washing.

Lav"a*to*ry, n.; pl. Lavatories. Etym: [L. lavatorium: cf. lavatoire. See Lave to wash, and cf. Laver.]

1. A place for washing.

2. A basin or other vessel for washing in.

3. A wash or lotion for a diseased part.

4. A place where gold is obtained by washing.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 June 2024

INITIALISM

(noun) an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of the several words in the name and pronounced separately; “HTML is an initialism for HyperText Markup Language”


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