Are the meaning same for - Toilet, Latrine, Bathroom & Washroom.

Does the words Toilet, Latrine, Bathroom & Washroom carry the differnet meaning or they are just different Slangs for the same purpose?

They indeed point towards the same activity. In Britain the word Latrine is more in use where one ease himself. Washroom is boardly used in United States for the same purpose. Bathroom is a broader term used for taking a bath as well for easing purpose.

I have my doubts about the word Toilet, about the origin it belongs to.

Oh My God. All these terms have different meanings for me. That's what I learned as a kid. We refer "washroom" only if someone wants to take a shower/bath. No easing themselves there. Use "Bathroom" instead, and only small kids say "toilet" for the same purpose but adults use only "Bathroom". Uneducated people only use "latrine", in my opinion for the same purpose. The point is, we have seperate rooms for taking a shower and easing ourself. So, terms like "bathroom", "toilet", "latrine" are used only for easing oneself and "washroom" is only used for taking a shower/bath. This topic has done to death, search other posts as well on this same topic.

in my opinion "Bathroom"is used for taking bath instead of shower.But i agree with Boy.

People in British Commonwealth countries commonly use the word "toilet" to refer to the room where one achieves relief! This usage does not occur in North America, where the term is "restroom". If you were to ask "where is the toilet?" in the USA people might think you were a bit strange.

oh really? We use "restroom" where teachers take a rest after taking a class. It's a simple room packed with cupboards and sofas. Here all teachers can sit together and can discuss their personal gossip, but hell no, it is used for a toilet. "Rest" + "Room" doesn't reflect any connection with the purpose of using toilet.

Sherish, Am I right in my explanation? Do we use "restroom" as for "toilet"?

We call the room where teachers go after classes a staff room or the teacher's lounge. In Canada all those words have the same basic meaning, basically if you asked, "Where is the ____________(insert one of the above words)?, people would assume you need to relieve yourself and point you in the direction of a toilet.

OK, as we have gone down to the basics of daily bodily human needs this may be of interest. In the UK a common word for the place we all go to is the "loo". This apparently originates from the French phrase "gardez l'eau!" used here in Edinburgh way back in the insanitary days of the 17th century city. People cried out this warning as they emptied the contents of the chamber pots (piss pots if you like!) from the bedroom windows into the street below. Woe betide anyone who failed to heed the warning and got suitably drenched.

The word "l'eau" (water of course) became Anglicised to "loo" and so toilets, lavatories, or whatever, is commonly called the "loo" to this today, not only in Edinburgh but everywhere else.

Just in case you plan to visit this fair city I must tell you that the above practice is no longer carried out. ;-)

They all have the same meaning, but in North America, they are generally preferred in different settings.


In North America, the term latrine is generally a military term.

'Restroom' and 'Washroom' are generally used in bars or restaurants because they sound less dirty than toilets. For the same reason, the term

'Powder room' was also used specifically to describe women's toilettes in restaurants (although that use of the term has recently fallen into disuse).

Today, in North America, 'powder room' is the term used to describe the half-bathroom that some people have in their homes (sink and toilette, no bath or shower).

Bathroom, I would say, is probably the closest we have here to a general use term to describe all kinds of toilettes/restrooms/etc. In a home setting, however, it is the term used to describe the main bathroom in the home. For a bathroom attached to the main bedroom of a home, some people use the term 'ensuite'.

Toaste got it pretty much right for North America.

I personally only use the words restroom. bathroom, toilet, men's room and ladies' room. Each is a bit different for me. Restroom is a public bathroom, however, I can still call it the bathroom. A bathroom is what I have in my home, I'd never call it a restroom. The toilet is the actual mechanism you sit down on. The men's and ladies' room are respectively either the bathroom for men or the bathroom for women - public of course.

However, I've worked in retail, and I'm used to all the words said above (save latrine which I've never heard). I know to point to the restroom when anyone asks for the loo, lavatory, bathroom, restroom, washroom, toilet, or men's/ladies' room. I guess now I know to point there when they say latrine too, but I'm not in retail anymore!

<<teachers go after classes a staff room or the teacher's lounge. In Canada all those words have the same basic meaning>>

Yeah, that's right. I'll add that 'Potty' is a term sometimes used for the wee little ones when they want to go wee wee or something. Bathroom, washroom, toilet and restroom are all used interchangeably although 'restroom' is a term used for public places rather than at home. I had never heard of the word 'latrine' before-- that name almost has a classy sound to it, but it's basically just 'a hole in the ground used in a military area or when camping'. I've heard the word 'loo' many a times but had no idea, before now, how that word came about.

The word we use most often here in the U.S. is "bathroom"...whether there is a bathtub in there or not. You'll see "restroom" written in public places, but most often people just say "bathroom."

The word toilet in the U.S. refers to the actual device in which one urinates/defecates and then flushes.

I'm from Scotland and I refer to the room where one urinates/defecates as the ''loo'' or ''lavatory''. I only use the word ''toilet'' for the device in the room. Calling the room the ''restroom'' or ''washroom'' sounds silly to me and referring to the whole room as the ''toilet'' also sounds silly. The word ''bathroom'' is only used for a room where one takes a bath/shower in Scotland.

By the way what about ''facility''? Do any of you call it that? That word is sometimes seen on rest area signs here in Scotland when they're telling people whether or not the rest area has a lavatory or not.

For easing yourself use a lounge-room or a bedroom. For taking a bath use a bathroom. If you want to take a slash or a crap, then use the toilet.

Lims' definition of "latrine" is about right. It seems that the Cambridge dictionary has copied of Lims.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=44847&dict=CALD