eau de toilette
1
7.2
- noun
- /oʊ də twɑːˈlɛt/
:
agua de tocador
- eau de toilette (2.2 oz)
- Men eau de toilette
Examples
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I'm a connoisseur when it comes to eau de toilette.
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IT'S EAU DE TOILETTE.
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There is a distinct whiff of regressive boorishness that hashtags everything Internet fashion culture loves to champion as their favorite eau de toilette, and it's not just #menswear cats.
Blog text (6) -
I love the light fragrance of my new eau de toilette for everyday wear.
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She always chooses a fresh eau de toilette for the summer months.
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His eau de toilette is subtle but makes a lasting impression.
Synonyms
1
4.6
A light scented liquid people put on their skin to smell nice
How Scented
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is fully compositional: eau = water, de = of, toilette = grooming, so literally 'grooming water' which maps directly onto a lightly scented product used for personal grooming. This construction is a common Romance-language calque (e.g. eau de parfum) and is widely borrowed into English, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can readily infer the MWE's sense.
Etymology
Eau de toilette comes from French: eau means 'water' and toilette once meant a short 'washing and dressing' routine. People used lightly scented water during that routine, so the phrase came to mean a light, gently scented perfume.