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toiletry

toiletry

18 3.2
Small items like soap or shampoo used to wash and care for your body
  • noun
  • /ˈtɔɪlətri/
translation icon : artículo de aseo personal
  • He realized he forgot his toiletry kit and had to buy new soap and deodorant.
  • food and toiletries
  • toiletries and clothing

My desk is a mess, my brushes aren't clean, my toiletries aren't packed.

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Examples

  • Water and toiletries at your disposal.

  • The box was filled with books, pens, toiletries, and other items parents might enjoy.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Okay, I just got to grab my toiletry bag, and then we can go.

  • Oh my gosh, even a little toiletry bag and it all matches check that out.

  • How many toiletry kits does a man need?

  • I mumble something about sleep and take my toiletry case to the bathroom.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I am not leaving without my toiletries.

  • A few changes of clothes, the necessary toiletries, and a couple dozen books.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Essentials only, toiletries, a change of clothing, that kind of thing.

  • Well, I was just bringing you some mini toiletries, and I got you some more of that shampoo that I know you like so much.

Synonyms

toilet articles
vstoiletry
1 2.5

Personal items used to wash and care for your body, like soap or a toothbrush

is narrower, mainly objects for washing and basic body care

Surface Forms

toiletry singular
toiletries plural

Morphology

toiletry = toilet (semi-transparent) = toilet + ry

The relation to 'toilet' is clear, but the shift to mean articles for washing/dressing (rather than the place) is a specialized lexicalization not fully predictable for learners.

Etymology

Toiletry comes from the French word toilette (the same root as English toilet), which comes from toile, meaning 'cloth'. A helpful way to remember it is to picture the small cloth used when you wash or get dressed; the things you use there, like soap, shampoo and toothpaste, became 'toiletries', so the word means items for washing and personal care.