Meanings
plural necessary places
- euphemisticobsoleteA place used for the business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.
He bought, for example, a common edition of Horace, of which he tore off gradually a couple of pages, carried them with him to that necessary place, read them first, and then sent them down as a sacrifice to Cloacina: this was so much time fairly gained, and I recommend you to follow his example.
1747 15 December, Lord Chesterfield, letterSynonyms: bathroom
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA place used for the business of urination and defecation: an outhouse or lavatory.
Origin
Likely formed under influence from necessarium (“monastic latrine, outhouse, or lavatory”) and necessary (“outhouse; lavatory”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
necessary place. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necessary%20place
“necessary place.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necessary%20place. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “necessary place,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/necessary%20place.
Source: necessary place on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.