lavatory

C1 Topic:House & Home

US /ˈlæv.ə.t(ɔ)ɹ.i/ UK /ˈlæv.ə.tɹi/ See IPA manual

Freq #18514

Meanings

1

noun
A room with a toilet, especially in formal or British usage.

Excuse me, could you tell me where the lavatory is?
2

noun
A toilet fixture itself.

The aircraft has a lavatory at the rear of the cabin.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a room with a toilet,... toilet bathroom

2 noun · a toilet fixture itself. flush toilet

More sink washbasin

Word family

Forms lavatories

Derived forms lavlavatoriallavvy

Related forms lavatorium

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.

lavatorie Middle English lavātōrium la-lat lavō Latin lavadero Spanish

View etymology graph ->

Topics

House & Home Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# lavatory

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈlæv.ə.t(ɔ)ɹ.i/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈlæv.ə.tɹi/
**Frequency rank:** 18514

## Meanings
1. A room with a toilet, especially in formal or British usage.
2. A toilet fixture itself.

## Examples
- Excuse me, could you tell me where the lavatory is?
- The aircraft has a lavatory at the rear of the cabin.

## Synonyms
- sink
- toilet
- washbasin

## Derived Forms
- lav
- lavatorial
- lavvy

## Related Forms
- lavatorium

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: lavatorie
- Root: lavātōrium
- Root: lavō
- Root: lavadero

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Lavatory is 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. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. In present-day use, it can mean a room with a toilet, especially in formal or British usage, or a toilet fixture itself. Related forms include lavatorium. Derived formations include lav, lavatorial, lavvy.

## Topics
- House & Home
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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lavatory

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