lavatory

American  

[lav-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ˈlæv əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

noun

plural

lavatories

1. a room fitted with equipment for washing the hands and face and usually with flush toilet facilities.

2. a flush toilet; water closet.

3. a bowl or basin with running water for washing or bathing purposes; washbowl.

4. any place where washing is done.

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lavatory British  

/ -trɪ, ˈlævətərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: toilet.   water closet.   WC. 

   1. a sanitary installation for receiving and disposing of urine and faeces, consisting of a bowl fitted with a water-flushing device and connected to a drain

   2. a room containing such an installation

2. the washing place in a convent or monastic establishment

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Etymology

Origin of lavatory

1325–75; Middle English lavatorie < Late Latin lavātōrium washing-place, equivalent to Latin lavā ( re ) to wash + -tōrium -tory ²

Explanation

A lavatory is a bathroom or a restroom. You should go to a restaurant's lavatory to wash your hands before dinner. Lavatory is a slightly formal way to say "bathroom." Most people would never refer to this room in their own homes as a lavatory, although they might use this word for public restrooms in schools, hospitals, or other buildings. In the U.K., a lavatory is just a toilet, and its earliest meaning was "washbasin," from the Latin root lavatorium, or "place for washing."

Example Sentences

Lavatory sanitation, amid the coronavirus pandemic, has been another trouble spot.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 28, 2020

Lavatory faucets would have a maximum water use level of 1.5 gallons per minute under the proposed standards, down from the current limit of 2.2 gallons per minute.

From Scientific American • Apr. 22, 2014

Lavatory accommodation should also be provided for porters on duty, and all lavatories should have a cut-off ventilating passage.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

The Monks' Lavatory takes up the next four bays.

From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Gloucester [2nd ed.] A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal See by Massé, H. J. L. J. (Henri Jean Louis Joseph)

For Clogged Lavatory Basins—Mix a handful of soda with a handful of common salt and force it down the pipe; then rinse the pipe thoroughly with boiling water.

From Fowler's Household Helps Over 300 Useful and Valuable Helps About the Home, Carefully Compiled and Arranged in Convenient Form for Frequent Use by Fowler, Arthur L.

Related Words

• latrine
• restroom
• toilet