urinal

[yoo r-uh-nl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR urinal ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a flushable wall fixture, as in a public lavatory, used by men for urinating.

a building or enclosure containing such fixtures.

a receptacle to receive the urine of a person with urinary incontinence or that of a bedridden person.

Origin of urinal

1225–75; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin ūrīnāle, neuter of ūrīnalis of urine. See urine, -al²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for urinal

toilet, latrine, outhouse, lavatory, head, privy, john, WC

Examples from the Web for urinal

Contemporary Examples of urinal

This is not the same thing that artists have been doing since Duchamp hung a urinal on a wall and called it art.
Art on the Tracks
Malcolm Jones
February 1, 2014
Even their drinking fountain is famous: a urinal Papa lugged home in a stupor from his favorite bar.
The Cat's Meow: Top 10 Destinations for Feline Fanatics
Lonely Planet
December 20, 2013
The Daily Pic: Everything the pop master made pointed back to Duchamp's urinal.
Warhol's Self-Portrait as a Toilet
Blake Gopnik
September 19, 2012

Historical Examples of urinal

Urinal cans must also be provided and cared for in a similar manner.
Manual of Military Training
James A. Moss
They did right to put him up over a urinal: meeting of the waters.
Ulysses
James Joyce
In the Sweating process it is necessary to place a urinal in the bed of the patient.
Every Man his own Doctor
R. T. Claridge
With reference to the formation of the urinal cloaca there is not much to say.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1
Francis Maitland Balfour
Death introduces an old man to a physician who is inspecting a urinal.
The Dance of Death
Francis Douce

British Dictionary definitions for urinal

urinal

noun

a sanitary fitting, esp one fixed to a wall, used by men for urination

a room containing urinals

any vessel for holding urine prior to its disposal

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

Word Origin and History for urinal

late 13c., "glass vial to receive urine for medical inspection," from Old French urinal, from Late Latin urinal, from Latin urinalis (adj.) "relating to urine," from urina (see urine). Meaning "chamber pot" is from late 15c. Modern sense of "fixture for urinating (for men)" is attested from 1851.

urinal in Medicine

urinal

[yur′ə-nəl]

n.

A vessel into which urine is passed.