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lavabo

Pronunciation: /ləˈveɪbəʊ/

The English word “lavabo” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A ritual involving the washing of one's hands at a church's offertory before handling the Eucharist.
  2. The small towel used to dry the priest's hands following the ritual.
  3. A washbasin, particularly (Christianity) the one in a church used in the ritual.
  4. A trough used for washing at some medieval monasteries.
  5. A lavatory: a room used for urination and defecation.

Etymology

From the Christian ritual, which was traditionally accompanied in Catholicism by a recitation of Psalm 25:6 (Psalm 26:6, in the Hebrew and in most modern translations) which in Latin begins with the word lavābō (“I will wash”). The sense of "room with a toilet" developed under the influence of lavatory and lav.

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