toilet

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
  2. noun a plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
  3. noun misfortune resulting in lost effort or money

Etymology

From Middle French toilette, diminutive of toile (“cloth”), from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. From its use as a private room, toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures, beginning in the United States in the late 19th century.

In classic literature

Synonyms

lavatory, lav, can, john, privy, bathroom

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