loo

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   (British informal) a toilet

   Excuse me, where's the loo?

Simplified etymology

Loo, meaning “lavatory,” was used by James Joyce and may have existed before the 20th century; Nancy Mitford later introduced it to many readers in her 1940 novel Pigeon Pie. Its origin is uncertain. Perhaps the most plausible proposal connects it with Waterloo, an early 20th-century trade name for iron cisterns. Derivation from the Edinburgh warning gardyloo is popular but unlikely, while a proposed connection with French lieux d’aisances, “places of ease,” is also inconclusive.

Of uncertain origin; first attested in the 20th century. Suggested derivations include French lieux d'aisances ('places of ease') or gardyloo (a warning cry when emptying chamber pots), but none is certain.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary