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lavabo

[ luh-vey-boh, -vah- ]
/ ləˈveɪ boʊ, -ˈvɑ- /
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noun, plural la·va·boes.
Ecclesiastical.
  1. the ritual washing of the celebrant's hands after the offertory in the Mass, accompanied in the Roman rite by the recitation of Psalm 26:6–12.
  2. the passage recited.
  3. the small towel or the basin used.
(in many medieval monasteries) a large stone basin equipped with a number of small orifices through which water flowed, used for the performance of ablutions.
a washbowl with a spigot-equipped water tank above, both mounted on a wall: now often used for decoration or as a planter.
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Origin of lavabo

First recorded in 1855–60, lavabo is from the Latin word lavābō: I shall wash

Words nearby lavabo

Lautréamont, Lautrec, Lauzon, lav, lava, lavabo, lavage, Laval, lava lamp, lavalava, lavaliere
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to lavabo

bath, laundry, soaking, ablution, fomentation, laundering, lavage, lavation, laving, maundy, rinsing

How to use lavabo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lavabo

lavabo
/ (ləˈveɪbəʊ) /
noun plural -boes or -bos mainly RC Church
  1. the ritual washing of the celebrant's hands after the offertory at Mass
  2. (as modifier)lavabo basin; lavabo towel
another name for washbasin
a trough for washing in a convent or monastery

Word Origin for lavabo

C19: from Latin: I shall wash, the opening of Psalm 26:6
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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