Word
loo
US/ˈɫu/
UK/lˈuː/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a common word for a toilet. It is mostly used in British English and is a bit more casual than 'bathroom' or 'restroom'.
n. a toilet or a room containing a toilet. Primarily British in usage; informal in register but generally considered polite enough for most social situations.
Examples
“I'll be back in a minute; I'm just going to the loo.”
“The pub was crowded, and there was a long queue for the ladies' loo near the back entrance.”
“While 'toilet' can sometimes sound overly direct in British social circles, 'loo' serves as a widely accepted euphemism that avoids the clinical tone of 'lavatory' or the Americanism 'restroom'.”
Examples
simple
“I'll be back in a minute; I'm just going to the loo.”
contextual
“The pub was crowded, and there was a long queue for the ladies' loo near the back entrance.”
complex
“While 'toilet' can sometimes sound overly direct in British social circles, 'loo' serves as a widely accepted euphemism that avoids the clinical tone of 'lavatory' or the Americanism 'restroom'.”
Usage
Commonly used with the definite article ('the loo') even when the specific location is unknown to the listener.
Etymology
Uncertain, although usually derived in some way from Waterloo, the site of Wellington's 1815 victory over Napoleon, likely via a pun based on water closet. Other suggested derivations include corruptions of French l'eau (“water”), lieu (“place”), lieux d'aisances (“'places of convenience': a lavatory”), lieu à l'anglaise (“'English place': a British-style lavatory”), bordalou (“a diminutive chamber pot”) or gardez l'eau (“'mind the water'”), via Scots gardyloo, formerly used in Edinburgh while emptying chamber pots out of windows; the supposed use of "Room 100" as the lavatory in Continental hotels; a popularisation of lew, a regional corruption of lee (“downwind”), in reference to shepherds' privies or the former use of beakheads on that side of the ship for urination and defecation; or a clipped form of the name of the unpopular 19th-century Countess of Lichfield Lady Harriett Georgiana Louisa Hamilton Anson, who was the subject of an 1867 prank whereby her bedroom's name-card was placed on the door to the lavatory, prompting the other guests to begin speaking of "going to Lady Louisa".
Clipped form of halloo.
Clipped form of lanterloo.
From French loup (“wolf; mask, eyemask”). Doublet of lobo, lupus, and wolf.
From Hindi लू (lū), ultmately from Sanskrit उल्का (ulkā, “flame”).
Clipped form of lieutenant.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/loo