Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

answer the call of nature

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.69 in modern English

Syllables: an-swer the -cal-l of -na-ture
IPA

32

Scrabble Score

21

Letters

6

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To satisfy a bodily urge to urinate or defecate.

Example Sentences

"Che [Guevara] jumped from his seat and rushed from the room, pursued by the entire press corps. Down the hall he went, and into the men's room where, surrounded by reporters, he proceeded to answer the call of nature, shouting: "Liberdad!""
"Unfortunately mountain climbers, like everybody else, need to answer the call of nature, and there are few toilet facilities on mountains."

Etymology

From answer the call + call of nature in reference to a need to urinate or defecate.

Inflected Forms

answers the call of nature (present, singular) answering the call of nature (participle, present) answered the call of nature (participle, past) answered the call of nature (past)

Phrases

find a friendly bush

Frequently Paired Words

find a friendly bush

Synonyms

defecate and Thesaurus:urinate

Questions

What does answer the call of nature mean?: To satisfy a bodily urge to urinate or defecate.
Where does answer the call of nature come from?: From answer the call + call of nature in reference to a need to urinate or defecate.

How to pronounce answer the call of nature

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