toilet

The story

1. Middle French · derived fromtoilette
2. English todaytoilet

From Middle French toilette, diminutive of toile (“cloth”), from their use to protect clothing while shaving or arranging hair. From its use as a private room, toilet came to refer euphemistically to lavatories and then to its fixtures, beginning in the United States in the late 19th century.

First known use, by meaning

• from 19th c. A room, enclosed area or single-purpose building containing a fixture or fixtures used for urination and defecation; a bathroom or water closet.
• from 19th c. A small secondary lavatory having a fixture used for urination and defecation and sink but no bathtub or shower.
• from 19th c. A fixture used for urination and defecation, particularly one with a large bowl and ring-shaped seat which uses water to flush the waste material into a septic tank or sewer system.
• from 20th c. A very shabby or dirty place.
• 17th–19th c. A covering of linen, silk, or tapestry, spread over a dressing table in a chamber or dressing room.
• 17th–19th c. The table covered by such a cloth; a dressing table.
• from 17th c. Personal grooming; the process of washing, dressing and arranging the hair.
• from 18th c. One's style of dressing: dress, outfit.