bathroom
- 01
n.a room in a house or building that has a bath or shower and usually a toilet.
n.a room containing a bathtub or shower, often including a toilet and washbasin.
Simple“The hotel room has a private bathroom with a large shower and fresh towels.”
In context“The hotel room has a private bathroom with a large shower and fresh towels.”
- 02
n.a polite way to say the room where the toilet is, even if there is no bath.
n.a euphemistic term for a lavatory or restroom, common in North American and Philippine English.
Simple“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom before we leave the restaurant.”
In context“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom before we leave the restaurant.”
PitfallI am going to the bath. I am going to the bathroom.A 'bath' is the large container you sit in to wash; the 'bathroom' is the room itself.
- 03
v.to help a sick or elderly person use the toilet and get clean.
v.to assist a patient with toileting and personal hygiene. Transitive — requires a person as the object.
Simple“The nurse will bathroom the patient before the morning rounds begin.”
In context“The nurse will bathroom the patient before the morning rounds begin.”
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₁- Proto-Germanic *baþą Proto-West Germanic *baþ Old English bæþ Middle English bath English bath Proto-Indo-European *Hrew-? Proto-Indo-European *(H)rewH-der. Proto-Germanic *rūmą Proto-West Germanic *rūm Old English rūm Middle English roum English room English bathroom From bath + room. Compare Dutch badkamer (“bathroom”), German Badezimmer (“bathroom”), Swedish badrum (“bathroom”), Faroese baðrúm (“bathroom”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.