water closet
3
6.1
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtə ˈklɒzɪt/
- Archaic
:
aseo
- She always makes sure the water closet is clean and stocked with toilet paper.
- a small water closet
Examples
-
Where's a water closet?
-
I must go to the water closet.
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That is the water closet in there.
-
Time for the water closet.
-
The water closet was tiny.
Fiction book (2002) -
The hotel was so elegant, with even our own private indoor water closet.
Fiction book (1992) -
So, did you find the water closet satisfactory?
-
Two internal bathrooms and three water closets.
-
Four stories tall and designed in the Second Empire architectural style, the building featured 200 guest rooms, 43 bathrooms, 40 water closets, and a 104-foot-tall tower.
Blog text (8) -
Excuse me, where is the water closet in this building?
Synonyms
76
1.0
A public toilet for women
39
8.5
A small room with a toilet that people use to pee or poo
30
8.0
A small room with a toilet in older British houses
30
7.8
An informal joking word for a toilet
29
9.9
A toilet in informal speech
26
5.8
A simple shared toilet used outdoors or in a camp
20
1.0
A room with toilets and sinks, often in a public building
19
2.0
A room with a toilet and a sink for washing hands
18
2.8
A small bathroom for women in public places or for guests at home
12
9.9
A small outdoor toilet in a separate building
7
6.8
A bathroom seat people use to pass waste from their body
3
7.7
An informal name for a bathroom for men or boys
3
8.4
A room with a toilet and sink
1
9.9
An outdoor toilet often in a small building behind a house
1
1.0
A small room with a toilet for people to use
1
9.9
A slang word for a simple outdoor toilet often found at campsites or gas stations
1
3.2
A room with toilets for men
A small room with a toilet in public places
An old toilet often found in old houses or museums
A small private room for using the toilet
An old outdoor toilet outside a house
A small outdoor toilet that uses earth to cover waste instead of flushing it
How Private
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a toilet' is directly derivable from combining 'water' (indicating plumbing/serviced water) with 'closet' when 'closet' is understood as a small private lavatory; the compound names the room containing water facilities. This composition is a straightforward noun compound (and internationally familiar in the form 'WC'), so a learner who knows both constituent meanings will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The term water closet comes from the old idea of a small private room called a closet that had water for washing or flushing. That's why the phrase came to mean a 'toilet'.