washpan C2+ Topic:House & Home Also spelled wash-pan US /ˈwɑːʃˌpæn/ UK /ˈwɒʃpæn/ See IPA manual Freq #1065588 Meanings 1 noun a broad, shallow pan or basin used to hold water for washing They stopped the holes in an old tin washpan and used it to bake the pie. 2 noun a shallow pan used to separate valuable minerals from sand or gravel by washing The prospector swirled river sediment in his washpan and inspected the remaining grains. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a broad, shallow pan or... washbasinwashing basin 2 noun · a shallow pan used to... gold panminer's pan Word family Forms wash-pans Related forms basinpan Etymology A compound of wash + pan. Domestic washpans held water before fixed plumbing became common; similarly shaped pans are used in mining to wash lighter sediment away from denser minerals. Topics House & Home External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # washpan **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈwɑːʃˌpæn/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈwɒʃpæn/ **Frequency rank:** 1065588 ## Meanings 1. a broad, shallow pan or basin used to hold water for washing 2. a shallow pan used to separate valuable minerals from sand or gravel by washing ## Examples - They stopped the holes in an old tin washpan and used it to bake the pie. - The prospector swirled river sediment in his washpan and inspected the remaining grains. ## Synonyms - washbasin - washing basin - gold pan ## Related Forms - basin - pan ## Etymology A compound of wash + pan. Domestic washpans held water before fixed plumbing became common; similarly shaped pans are used in mining to wash lighter sediment away from denser minerals. ## Topics - House & Home markdown