wash-hand basin
- noun
- UK
:
lavabo
- He rinsed his hands in the wash-hand basin before dinner.
Examples
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The plumber came to fix a leak under the wash-hand basin this morning.
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There was a wash-hand basin installed in every room for guests' convenience.
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The wash-hand basin in the bathroom is very stylish.
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I need to clean the wash-hand basins before the guests arrive.
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He rinsed his hands in the wash-hand basin before dinner.
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The plumber came to fix a leak under the wash-hand basin this morning.
-
There was a wash-hand basin installed in every room for guests' convenience.
Synonyms
265
1.0
A fixed basin in a kitchen or bathroom for washing dishes and hands
12
1.0
A fixed bowl in a bathroom connected to water and a drain for washing hands and face
4
2.4
A fixed bowl in a bathroom used for washing hands and face
1
2.4
A bowl or basin for cleaning hands and face
A small sink fixed to a wall for washing hands
A basin in a church used for washing hands before a service
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
wash-hand + basin
The meaning 'a basin for washing one's hands and face' is directly and transparently built from the constituents: 'wash' + 'hand' functioning as a modifier of 'basin' (a bowl). This compositional pattern (a basin for washing hands) is straightforward and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the component words will readily infer the MWE's meaning despite the hyphenated form.
Etymology
The noun wash-hand basin comes from the simple idea of wash-hand, meaning washing your hands, and basin, meaning a bowl. It is the bowl fixed to a wall or on a stand where you 'wash' your hands and face, so the name directly shows its use.