lavatory
/ˈlavət(ə)ri
/noun (plural lavatories)
1A room, building, or cubicle containing a toilet or toilets: he locked himself in the downstairs lavatory public lavatories...
- Soap characters never go to the lavatory, partly I guess because the loo is an unlikely place for dialogue and partly because if they did it once, they'd always be having to go.
- Its first dramatic peak was interrupted by an old lady who wanted to go to the lavatory.
- I was soon able to buy my first property, which brought home another miracle of modernity: that you can go to the lavatory inside the house!
Synonyms
toilet, WC, water closet, (public) convenience, cloakroom, facilities, powder room, urinal, privy, latrine, outhouse, earth closet, jakes;
North American washroom, bathroom, rest room, men's room, ladies' room, commode, comfort station;
French pissoir;
Nautical head
informal little girls' room, little boys' room, smallest room
British informal loo, bog, the Ladies, the Gents, khazi, lav, throne, thunderbox
Northern English informal netty
North American informal can, john, honey bucket
Australian/New Zealand informal dunny, little house
vulgar slang pisser, shithouse, shitter
archaic closet, garderobe
1.1British A flush toilet: she flushed the lavatory I needed to go to the lavatory
1.2North American A sink or washbasin in a bathroom or toilet.Do not put a plugged-in electrical appliance where it can fall or be pulled into water, as in the kitchen sink, bathroom lavatory or tub....
- I swallowed my tears and washed my face in the small sink in the adjacent lavatory.
- They can be fabricated with near-invisible seams, and some brands offer a range of sinks and lavatories which can be fabricated integrally with the tops.
Origin
Late Middle English: from late Latin lavatorium 'place for washing', from Latin lavare 'to wash'. The word originally denoted something in which to wash, such as a bath or piscina, later (mid 17th century) a room with washing facilities; the current sense dates from the 19th century.