lavabo
/ləˈveɪbəʊ/ noun
Forms lavabos lavaboes
- noun (Christianity) A ritual involving the washing of one's hands at a church's offertory before handling the Eucharist.
- noun (Christianity) The small towel used to dry the priest's hands following the ritual.
- noun A washbasin, particularly (Christianity) the one in a church used in the ritual.
- noun (architecture) A trough used for washing at some medieval monasteries.
- noun (humorous, euphemistic) A lavatory: a room used for urination and defecation.
Synonyms
lavatory washbasin bathroom latrine necessarium toilet toilet room urinal water closet WC cloaca closet jacques kocay siege cludgie neddy netty shield six handbasin washbowl wash-hand basin
Etymology
From the Christian ritual, which was traditionally accompanied in Catholicism by a recitation of Psalm 25:6 (Psalm 26:6, in the Hebrew and in most modern translations) which in Latin begins with the word lavābō (“I will wash”). The sense of "room with a toilet" developed under the influence of lavatory and lav.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “lavabo”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details