bathroom

English

Alternative forms

• bath room, bath-room

Etymology

From bath +‎ room. Compare Dutch badkamer (“bathroom”), German Badezimmer (“bathroom”), Swedish badrum (“bathroom”), Faroese baðrúm (“bathroom”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɑːθ.ɹuːm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbæθˌɹum/, /ˈbæθɹʊm/
• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈbæθ.ɹuːm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːm

Noun

bathroom (plural bathrooms)

1. A room containing a shower and/or bathtub, and (typically but not necessarily) a toilet.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bathroom

   Hyponyms: see Thesaurus:bathroom

   Hypernym: room

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     I wash in the bathroom.

     Audio (US)

     (file)

2. (chiefly US, South Africa, Canada, Philippines, euphemistic) A lavatory (area where one washes or bathes): a room containing a toilet and (typically but not necessarily) a bathtub.

   Most Americans don't know 'WC' and many Brits mock 'bathroom' but almost everyone understands 'toilet' or 'lavatory'.

Usage notes

From the beginning of the 20th century, bathroom has been the generic word for a room with toilet facilities in American English, whereas Britons have continued to say lavatory relatively more frequently, and often loo or WC for a room with a toilet but no bath.

In some contexts, bathroom refers more particularly to the toilet facilities of a private residence, distinguished from public buildings' restrooms (US), washrooms (Canada), men's rooms, ladies' rooms, etc.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Urdu: باتھروم (bāthrūm)
• → Hindi: बाथरूम (bāthrūm)

Translations

Verb

bathroom (third-person singular simple present bathrooms, present participle bathrooming, simple past and past participle bathroomed)

1. (medicine, transitive) To assist a patient with using the toilet and general personal hygiene.

References