Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

lavabo

/ləˈveɪbəʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.23 in modern English

Syllables
lavabo
IPA
/ləˈveɪbəʊ/
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A ritual involving the washing of one's hands at a church's offertory before handling the Eucharist.

noun

The small towel used to dry the priest's hands following the ritual.

noun

A washbasin, particularly (Christianity) the one in a church used in the ritual.

noun

A trough used for washing at some medieval monasteries.

noun

A lavatory: a room used for urination and defecation.

Humorous

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /ləˈveɪbəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

lavabos (plural) lavaboes (plural)

Synonyms

lavatory washbasin bathroom latrine necessarium toilet toilet room urinal water closet WC cloaca closet

Questions

How do you pronounce lavabo?
The recorded pronunciation is /ləˈveɪbəʊ/.
What does lavabo mean?
A ritual involving the washing of one's hands at a church's offertory before handling the Eucharist.
Where does lavabo come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce lavabo

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “lavabo”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ləˈveɪbəʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “lavabo”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “lavabo” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.