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toilet table

toilet table

6.3
A low table with a mirror used to sit at and put on makeup
  • noun
  • /ˈtɔɪlɪt ˈteɪbəl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : tocador
  • She sat at her toilet table to put on makeup.

Examples

  • The antique toilet table had an ornate mirror and delicate carvings.

  • She sat at her toilet table to apply her makeup before the party.

  • Each guest room in the hotel includes a spacious toilet table for personal grooming.

  • The toilet table in the bedroom is antique.

  • She arranged her makeup and brushes neatly on the toilet table before getting ready for the party.

  • The antique toilet table in the bedroom featured a beautiful mirror and delicate carvings.

  • Every morning, she sits at her toilet table to style her hair and apply her makeup.

Synonyms

dresser
vstoilet table
  • US
73 1.4

A piece of furniture with drawers for storing clothes

is used when sitting to dress or apply makeup rather than mainly for storage
vanity
vstoilet table
  • US
16 4.4

A small table with a mirror that you use to put on makeup or do your hair

focuses more broadly on dressing while sitting, not mainly makeup
dressing table
vstoilet table
6 3.0

A low table with a mirror for doing hair and makeup

shares identical meaning and use

How Elaborate

vanity
  • US
16 4.4
toilet table
  • Archaic
6.3
stool
95 1.0

Surface Forms

toilet table singular
toilet tables plural

Morphology

toilet + table

The meaning is directly compositionally derived from 'toilet' (the act of washing/dressing) + 'table' (a piece of furniture), so a learner who knows those constituent senses can predict a table used for dressing/applying makeup. Although the grooming sense of 'toilet' is somewhat archaic and modern speakers often know 'dressing table' instead, the construction is cross-linguistically common and therefore immediately comprehensible to learners who know the grooming sense.

Etymology

Toilet table comes from when the word toilet used to mean 'washing and dressing' rather than the bathroom. The picture of a small table with a mirror where someone sits to wash, comb, and put on makeup explains why it means 'a low table with a mirror used for dressing'.