overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

lavatory.

A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly

8 characters4 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈlæv.ə.tɹi/UK/ˈlæv.ə.təɹ.i/UK/ˈlæv.ə.t(ɔ)ɹ.i/US
  1. A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly

    formal
  2. A vessel or fixture for washing A laver: a washbasin.

    formal
  3. A vessel or fixture for washing A bathtub.

    archaic · formal
  4. A vessel or fixture for washing A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.

    formal
  5. A vessel or fixture for washing A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before handling the Eucharist.

    formal
  6. A vessel or fixture for washing A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used figuratively for the washing away of sins.

    figuratively · formal · usually
  7. A vessel or fixture for washing A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.

    formal
    Their 'bathroom' included a toilet and a lavatory but no bath.
  8. Handwashing as an act, particularly

    formal
  9. Handwashing as an act, particularly The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling the eucharist.

    formal
  10. Handwashing as an act, particularly The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to clean the communion vessels.

    formal
  11. A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse.

    formal · obsolete
  12. A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands.

    dated · formal
  13. A room containing a toilet: a bathroom (US) or WC (UK).

    euphemistic · formal
    Americans don't know 'WC' and Brits mock 'bathroom' but everyone usually understands 'toilet' or 'lavatory'.
  14. A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.

    Northeastern · UK · US · formal
  15. A place to wash clothes: a laundry.

    dated · formal
  16. A place where gold is panned.

    formal · obsolete
  17. A paved room in a mortuary where corpses are kept under a shower of disinfecting fluid.

    formal · obsolete
Where this word comes from

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.

adj/ˈlæv.ə.tɹi/UK/ˈlæv.ə.təɹ.i/UK/ˈlæv.ə.t(ɔ)ɹ.i/US
  1. Washing, or cleansing by washing.

    dated · formal · not-comparable
Where this word comes from

From Latin lavātōrius.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

lavatory has 8 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

lavatory studiolavatory workshello, lavatory

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.