Meaning of lavatory | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly
2. A vessel or fixture for washing
3. A laver: a washbasin.
4. A bathtub.
   archaic
5. A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.
6. A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before handling the Eucharist.
7. A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used figuratively for the washing away of sins.
   figuratively, usually
8. A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.
9. Handwashing as an act, particularly
10. The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling the eucharist.
11. The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to clean the communion vessels.
12. A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse.
    obsolete
13. A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands.
    dated
14. A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK).
    euphemistic
15. A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.
    New-England, UK
16. A place to wash clothes: a laundry.
    dated
17. A place where gold is panned.
    obsolete
18. A paved room in a mortuary where corpses are kept under a shower of disinfecting fluid.
    obsolete

Equivalents

Examples

“Whon he haþ vsed he walkeþ riht To Lauatorie þer hit is diht For to wassche his hende.”

“And thow shalt make a brasun lauatory with his foot to wasshe with.”

“Their 'bathroom' included a toilet and a lavatory but no bath.”

“Lavatories (bathroom sinks) are available in a blizzard of colors, materials, and styles.”

“Anywhere a water closet is used, a lavatory (ie, hand-washing sink) must also be installed.”

“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...”

“They must be wasshed wyth wyne or wyth some other lauatorye.”

“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.”

“Americans don't know 'WC' and Brits mock 'bathroom' but everyone usually understands 'toilet' or 'lavatory'.”

“People needing to use the lavatory often ask to use the baño in a restaurant; toilet paper is rarely available, so the experienced traveler always carries a personal supply.”

“THE RESTROOM ON THE OLDER TRAINS ARE TOO SMALL FOR AN ADULT. ONE CAN'T USE THE TOILET WITHOUT CONSTANTLY ELBOWING THE WALL. AIRPLANES HAVE LARGER LAVATORIES AND A BETTER USEABLE FAUCET.”

“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.”

CEFR level