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The word toilet came to be used in English along with other French fashions (first noted 1681), and originally referred to the whole complex of operations of hairdressing and body care that centered on a dressing table covered to the floor with cloth (toile) and lace, on which stood a dressing glass, which might also be draped in lace: the ensemble was a toilette. Alexander Pope in The Rape of the Lock ( 1717) described the intricacies of a lady's preparation:
Through the 18th century, everywhere in the English-speaking world, a toilet remained a lady's draped dressing-table. The word was adapted as a genteel euphemism for water-closet, perhaps following the French usage cabinet de toilette, much as powder-room may be coyly used today, and this has been linked to the introduction of public toilets, for example on railway train s, which required a plaque on the door. The original usage has became indelicate and largely replaced by dressing-table.
The word toilet itself may be considered an impolite word in the United States, whilst elsewhere the word is used without any embarrassment. When referring to the room or the actual piece of equipment, the word toilet is often substituted with other euphemisms (and dysphemisms) such as
| bathroom bog | khazi john |
place of easement |
The origin of the (chiefly British) term loo is unknown, but a popular theory is that it derives from “Gardy loo!”, a corruption of the French phrase garde l'eau loosely translated as “watch out for the water!” The phrase served as a warning to passers-by when chamber pots and other waste receptacles were emptied from a window onto the street, as was common practice before cities had sewer systems.
As old euphemisms have become accepted, they have been progressively replaced by newer ones, an example of the euphemism treadmill at work.
There are many different types of toilets around the world. There are also many different ways to clean yourself after you are finished using the toilet. A lot depends on national moresThe term mores (pronounced mor-ayz) as used in Sociology is a plural noun. The Latin singular, which is not used in English, is mos''. The English word morality comes from the same root, as does the noun moral which can mean the 'core meaning of a story'. and local resources. The most common choice in the Western world is toilet paperToilet paper is a tissue paper product designed for the cleansing of the anus after defecation or the genitals after urination. Toilet paper has a different composition than facial tissue. Toilet paper is designed to break apart when wet so as to not clog, sometimes used in conjunction with the bidetA bidet is a low-mounted plumbing fixture or type of sink intended for washing the external genitalia and the anus. Bidet is pronounced US IPA [bde] SAMPA [b1:"deI], UK IPA [bide] SAMPA ["bi:deI] Europe. Usage Bidets are principally used to wash and clean; see toilet paperToilet paper is a tissue paper product designed for the cleansing of the anus after defecation or the genitals after urination. Toilet paper has a different composition than facial tissue. Toilet paper is designed to break apart when wet so as to not clog for a discussion of the many alternatives used through history and in different cultures.
Some toilet areas are specially adapted for people with disabilitiesThe term disability , as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. National governments and global humanitarian agencies have narrowed this definition for their own purposes, onl. These are wide enough to allow the entry by a person in a wheelchairA wheelchair is a device used for mobility by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible, due to illness or disability. It typically consists of a seat supported on two large wheels on an axle attached towards the back of the seat and two small wh and often feature hand-holds bolted to the wall, enabling the person to maneuver onto the toilet if necessary.
In the West, the most common type of toilet is the flush toilet, although the squat toilet is still very common in France, Greece, Italy and Japan. However, there are many different types of toilets:
In the home, a toilet may or may not be in the same room as a shower, bathtub, and/or wash basin.
