bathroom English · revision 4778

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1780|origins=en bath, en room}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈbɑːθ.ruːm/, /ˈbɑːθ.rʊm/, US /ˈbæθ.ruːm/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound, [[af|en|bath|room]],^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) also written bath-room.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A room with apparatus for bathing: 1780 in Etymonline and the OED.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) MWU gives 1670 as its first known use.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It first meant only a room for bathing, the sole definition in the Century Dictionary of 1902.^(Etymonline) 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.^(Etymonline)^(Collins 2023) ''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.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1670 – first known use.^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1780 – a room for bathing.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1920 – ''go to the bathroom''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A room with a [[bath]] or [[shower]], usually also with a washbasin and often a [[toilet]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(chiefly US, Canada)'' A room with a toilet; a [[lavatory]].^(Collins 2023)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bath]]

+ * [[room]]

+ * [[lavatory]]

+ * [[toilet]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}