commode

American  

[kuh-mohd] / kəˈmoʊd /

noun

1. a low cabinet or similar piece of furniture, often highly ornamental, containing drawers or shelves.

2. a stand or cupboard containing a chamber pot or washbasin.

3. toilet.

4. a portable toilet, especially one on a chairlike frame with wheels, as for an invalid.

5. an elaborate headdress consisting chiefly of a high framework decorated with lace, ribbons, etc., worn perched on top of the hair by women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

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commode British  

/ kəˈməʊd /

noun

1. a piece of furniture, usually highly ornamented, containing drawers or shelves

2. a bedside table with a cabinet below for a chamber pot or washbasin

3. a movable piece of furniture, sometimes in the form of a chair, with a hinged flap concealing a chamber pot

4. a woman's high-tiered headdress of lace, worn in the late 17th century

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Etymology

Origin of commode

First recorded in 1680–90; from French, from Latin commodus “convenient, fitting, suitable”; equivalent to com- + mode ¹

Example Sentences

The white sink, the commode, and the tub with the nickel-plated fixtures glowed in the pale moonlight.

From Literature

I mean, let’s face it, we don’t put ADA-required rails on every commode in every bathroom.

From Salon

Three years later, the Guggenheim sent its commode to England’s Blenheim Palace, where it was installed in Winston Churchill’s wood-paneled bathroom.

From The Wall Street Journal

The toilet has a lot of potential as a health monitor, says Seung-min Park, who led a Stanford School of Medicine project to develop a smart commode.

From The Wall Street Journal

There's a commode in her living room until she can get a downstairs toilet, and wall rails have had to be fitted to help her move about.

From BBC

Related Words

• dresser