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Glite Dictionary
comfort station

comfort station

1 3.2
A public toilet for people to use
  • noun
  • /ˈkʌmfərt ˈsteɪʃən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : aseo público
  • "Please come by one of our comfort stations to see us if you want to talk further, or feel free to call me."

Examples

  • The town is opening a comfort station from 4 to 9 tonight at Weston Middle School.

    Blog text (17)

  • Ms. Weinstein and Mr. Edgar both praised Neil Horner, who coordinated the comfort station, and thanked the superintendent for opening the schools for town use so readily.

    Blog text (28)

  • Some kind of comfort station in the middle of the crowd.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Mr. Horner said more than 2,000 people came through the comfort station, and he thanked town leaders for offering it.

    Blog text (28)

  • There were 103 people who manned the comfort station at Weston High School over the course of eight days.

    Blog text (28)

  • In addition to the neighborhood block captains, Weston keeps a school open as a comfort station and staffs it with volunteers.

    Blog text (25)

  • Our CERT volunteers have manned comfort stations in two areas, providing much-needed amenities to residents.

    Blog text (2)

  • The comfort stations are also serviced by a municipal sewer and were inspected for indications of sewage leakage, as were a number of vault privies.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The park has a clean and well-maintained comfort station for visitors to use.

  • During the festival, a comfort station was provided for people to freshen up.

Synonyms

restroom
vscomfort station
  • US
133 1.0

A public room with toilets and sinks for people to use

focuses on toilets generally rather than stressing sinks
convenience
vscomfort station
  • UK
49 2.8

A public room with a toilet for people to use

is identical in sense but uses slightly different phrasing
public toilet
vscomfort station
  • UK
7 1.0

A room with toilets and sinks that anyone can use in public places

focuses on toilets generally without stressing washing facilities or location
toilet facility
vscomfort station
2 1.2

A room or building with toilets for public use

treats the idea as a general public facility rather than the physical structure
public lavatory
vscomfort station
2.0

A toilet in a public place that anyone can use

covers the same public availability but is more general in wording
public convenience
vscomfort station
  • UK
2.7

A toilet in a public place that anyone can use

uses a broader label for a facility rather than stressing public location
wash room
vscomfort station
  • Canadian
1.0

A public room with toilets and sinks for cleaning hands

refers to the toilet facility but not specially focused on washing fixtures

Surface Forms

comfort station singular
comfort stations plural

Morphology

comfort + station

The words 'comfort' (ease) + 'station' (place) suggest a place that provides comfort, so there is a partial compositional cue. However the specific sense 'public toilet' is a euphemistic, regionally and historically specific usage that is not directly predictable from the constituents, so learners need cultural/lexical knowledge to reach the exact meaning.

Etymology

The name comfort station may come from a polite way of naming a small station that gives comfort—a place to wash, rest, or use a toilet. So today it means a 'public toilet' or 'restroom'.