bathtub

American  

[bath-tuhb, bahth-] / ˈbæθˌtʌb, ˈbɑθ- /

noun

1. a tub to bathe in, especially one that is a permanent fixture in a bathroom.

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bathtub British  

/ ˈbɑːθˌtʌb /

noun

1. a bath, esp one not permanently fixed

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Etymology

Origin of bathtub

First recorded in 1825–35; bath ¹ + tub

Explanation

A bathtub is a bathroom fixture, a tub that you can fill with water for bathing. Some people like to soak in a bathtub at the end of a long day. Many bathtubs are made of ceramic or porcelain, and they're large enough for an adult to lie down in at least partially submerged in water. Some bathrooms have only a bathtub, or only a shower, while others have both. In Britain, it's more common to call a bathtub simply a bath. During Prohibition in 1920s America, "bathtub gin" referred to any kind of home-brewed alcohol, whether it was actually made in a bathtub or not.

Example Sentences

A Fish in the Bathtub New 2K restoration of 1999 comedy starring Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 1, 2019

We disembarked in Nanaimo, a mid-sized city best known as the site of the annual World Championship Bathtub Race.

From Washington Post • Nov. 17, 2016

Broken Bone Bathtub In which audiences of six to eight people help the show’s creator and performer, Siobhan O’Loughlin, take a bath.

From New York Times • Jan. 7, 2016

Written by American crime writer Michael R Perry, the film sees Reynolds starring as Jerry, a seemingly regular guy working at the Milton Bathtub factory, with a dog, Bosco, and a cat, Mr Whiskers.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2015

She had rather lightly passed over the Bedelle Improved Bathtub.

From Skippy Bedelle His Sentimental Progress From the Urchin to the Complete Man of the World by Fuhr, Ernest