jakes
/d͡ʒeɪks/ noun, proper noun
Forms jakeses jacks jacques jakes's
- noun (now chiefly Ireland) A place to urinate and defecate: an outhouse or lavatory.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
outhouse bathroom latrine necessarium toilet toilet room urinal water closet WC cloaca closet jacques kocay siege cludgie neddy netty shield six facilities privy earth-closet
Etymology
From Middle English Jake (variant of “Jack”) or Jakke (variant of “Jacques” and “Jack”). Use as a place to urinate and defecate first attested in the form jacques. Compare terms such as US slang Cousin John and Quincy, used as euphemistic personifications the speaker was "visiting".
From Jake + -s (patronymic suffix).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A privy. Shak.
Etymology [Prob. fr. F. Jacques, the proper name. See 2d Jack.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “jakes”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details