Etymologically
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bathroom

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 00:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈbɑːθ.ruːm/, /ˈbɑːθ.rʊm/, US /ˈbæθ.ruːm/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English bath + room,[2][3] also written bath-room.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A room with apparatus for bathing: 1780 in Etymonline and the OED.[2][3] MWU gives 1670 as its first known use.[4]

Semantic evolution

It first meant only a room for bathing, the sole definition in the Century Dictionary of 1902.[2] In the 20th century it came to be used in the United States as a euphemism for a room with a toilet, a use that often confuses British visitors.[2][5] Go to the bathroom, to relieve oneself, is from 1920, in a children's book, and is used whether or not a real bathroom is involved.[2]

Timeline

  • 1670 – first known use.[4]
  • 1780 – a room for bathing.[2][3]
  • 1920 – go to the bathroom.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A room with a bath or shower, usually also with a washbasin and often a toilet.
  2. (chiefly US, Canada) A room with a toilet; a lavatory.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins