lavatory
adjEtymology From Latin lavātōrius.
- Related terms
- lavatorial
lavatory
nounUK /ˈlæv.ə.tɹi/ · US /ˈlæv.ə.t(ɔ)ɹ.i/
Etymology From Middle English lavatorie, from Late Latin lavātōrium, from Latin lavāre (“to wash”) + -ium (forming places related to an activity). As a place to pan gold, via Spanish lavadero. Doublet of lavatorium and laver. See also lave.
17 senses
- 1A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly
- 2A laver: a washbasin.
- 3A bathtub.
- 4A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.
- 5A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before…
- 6A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used…
- 7A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.
- 8Handwashing as an act, particularly
- 9The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling…
- 10The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to…
- 11A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse.
- 12A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands.
- 13A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK).
- 14A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.
- 15A place to wash clothes: a laundry.
- 16A place where gold is panned.
- 17A paved room in a mortuary where corpses are kept under…
1
Formal A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly
- Whon he haþ vsed he walkeþ riht To Lauatorie þer hit is diht For to wassche his hende.a. 1375, Lay Folks Mass Book, Appendix iv, p. 606:
- And thow shalt make a brasun lauatory with his foot to wasshe with.1382, Bible (Wycliffe), Exod. 30:18
› A vessel or fixture for washing
2
Formal A laver: a washbasin.
4
Christianity Formal A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.
5
Christianity Formal A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before handling the Eucharist.
6
Christianity Figuratively, Formal, Usually A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used figuratively for the washing away of sins.
7
Business, Construction, Manufacturing Formal A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.
Interior design
- Their 'bathroom' included a toilet and a lavatory but no bath.
- Lavatories (bathroom sinks) are available in a blizzard of colors, materials, and styles.2005, Michael W. Litchfield, Renovation, page 325:
1 more example
- Anywhere a water closet is used, a lavatory (ie, hand-washing sink) must also be installed.2011, Sharon Koomen Harmon et al., The Codes Guidebook for Interiors, page 288:
8
Formal Handwashing as an act, particularly
- Wᵗ condicion that at the tyme of the Lavatory eueryche of theym turne theym to the people, and exorte theym to pray for ye soules following...1513, Robert Fabyan, last will and testament
9
Christianity Formal The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling the eucharist.
10
Christianity Formal The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to clean the communion vessels.
- They must be wasshed wyth wyne or wyth some other lauatorye.1490, Publius Vergilius Maro, chapter XXVIII, in William Caxton, transl., The Boke yf Eneydos, page 110:
- 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.2003, Gauvin A. Bailey, Between Renaissance and Baroque: Jesuit Art in Rome, 1565-1610, page 61:
13
Euphemistic, Formal A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK).
- Americans don't know 'WC' and Brits mock 'bathroom' but everyone usually understands 'toilet' or 'lavatory'.
- 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.2003, Rob Rachowiecki et al., Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, page 44:
1 more example
- 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.2014, “Verbatim Comments”, in Corey, Canapary & Galanis, editor, Caltrain 2014 On-Board Survey, Caltrain, retrieved 30 Jul 2023, page 1:
14
New England, UK, Formal A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.
- 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.1997, Slavoj Žižek, The Plague of Fantasies, page 4:
- Derived terms
- lav, lavatorial, lavatory attendant, lavatory basin, lavatory bowl, lavatory brush, lavatory chain, lavatory cleanser, lavatory humor, lavatory joke, lavatory pan, lavatory paper, lavatory period, lavatory room, lavatory seat, lavatory stone, lavatory style, lavvy
- Related terms
- lavatorium