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Lavatory
Definitions
- 1 Washing, or cleansing by washing. dated, not-comparable
- 1 A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly
"Whon he haþ vsed he walkeþ riht To Lauatorie þer hit is diht For to wassche his hende."
- 2 a toilet that is cleaned of waste by the flow of water through it wordnet
- 3 A vessel or fixture for washing; A laver: a washbasin.
- 4 a room or building equipped with one or more toilets wordnet
- 5 A vessel or fixture for washing; A bathtub. archaic
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- 6 a bathroom sink that is permanently installed and connected to a water supply and drainpipe; where you can wash your hands and face wordnet
- 7 A vessel or fixture for washing; A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.
- 8 A vessel or fixture for washing; A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before handling the Eucharist.
- 9 A vessel or fixture for washing; A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used figuratively for the washing away of sins. figuratively, usually
- 10 A vessel or fixture for washing; A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.
"Their 'bathroom' included a toilet and a lavatory but no bath."
- 11 Handwashing as an act, particularly
"Wᵗ condicion that at the tyme of the Lavatory eueryche of theym turne theym to the people, and exorte theym to pray for ye soules following..."
- 12 Handwashing as an act, particularly; The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling the eucharist.
- 13 Handwashing as an act, particularly; The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to clean the communion vessels.
- 14 A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse. obsolete
"They must be wasshed wyth wyne or wyth some other lauatorye."
- 15 A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands. dated
"Even the lavatory, a vestibule to the refectory through which the novices would pass on their way to the recreation room, boasted a painting cycle."
- 16 A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK). euphemistic
"Americans don't know 'WC' and Brits mock 'bathroom' but everyone usually understands 'toilet' or 'lavatory'."
- 17 A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet. New-England, UK
"In a traditional German lavatory, the hole in which shit disappears after we flush water is way in front, so that the shit is first laid out for us to sniff at and inspect for traces of some illness; in the typical French lavatory, on the contrary, the hole is in the back - that is, the shit is supposed to disappear as soon as possible; finally, the Anglo-Saxon (English or American) lavatory presents a kind of synthesis, a mediation between these two opposed poles - the basin is full of water so that the shit floats in it - visible, but not to be inspected."
- 18 A place to wash clothes: a laundry. dated
- 19 A place where gold is panned. obsolete
- 20 A paved room in a mortuary where corpses are kept under a shower of disinfecting fluid. obsolete
Etymology
From Middle English lavatorie, from Late Latin lavātōrium, from Latin lavāre (“to wash”) + -ium (forming places related to an activity). As a place to pan gold, via Spanish lavadero. Doublet of lavatorium and laver. See also lave.
From Latin lavātōrius.
See also for "lavatory"
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