commode
commode Lexical Profile
commode Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A movable chair or low cabinet containing a concealed chamber pot or removable receptacle, used as a bedside toilet by patients with limited mobility.
"The visiting nurse arranged for a bedside commode to be delivered before the patient returned home from surgery."
American A standard flush toilet.
"The plumber had to replace the wax ring underneath the commode to stop the leak."
An ornate, low chest of drawers or cabinet, often having curved fronts and standing on short legs or a decorative base.
"An eighteenth-century French marquetry commode served as the centerpiece of the museum's decorative arts gallery."
A tall, tiered linen headdress supported by a wire frame and adorned with lace and ribbons, worn by women in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
"Portraits from the reign of Queen Anne frequently depict noblewomen wearing a towering lace commode."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British English and healthcare settings, 'commode' usually refers to a portable chair enclosing a chamber pot, whereas in American English (particularly in the South and Midwest), it is a common euphemism for a standard flush toilet.
• Rhymes for commode
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 17th century from French 'commode', a noun use of the adjective meaning 'convenient' or 'suitable', from Latin 'commodus' ('proper, convenient'), formed from 'com-' ('with') and 'modus' ('measure').