Noun

Singular toilet

Plural toilets

toilet (plural toilets)

1. (archaic) Personal grooming; washing, dressing etc.

   1917 "It is a quarter-past two," he said. "Your telegram was dispatched about one. But no one can glance at your toilet and attire without seeing that your disturbance dates from the moment of your waking." — Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge".

   1917Reports from abroad and from this country indicate that great good has been accomplished in infectious diseases and in catarrhal conditions of the respiratory tract by so-called toilet of the mouth, nose, and throat. — US Army, "Circular Letter, Surgeon General’s Office, March 22, 1918", here.

2. A dressing room.
3. A room or enclosed cubicle containing a lavatory, e.g., a bathroom or water closet (w.c.).

   1906 there were also tons of garbage festering in the sun, and the greasy laundry of the workers hung out to dry, and dining rooms littered with food and black with flies, and toilet rooms that were open sewers. — Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, Chapter 26.

   When feasible, place the toilet near the river's edge to encourage urination in the river unless there is adequate volume for urination in the toilet. US National Parks Service.

4. A lavatory or device for depositing human waste and then flushing it away with water.

   EPA is currently developing the specification for high-efficiency toilets. All HETs that meet WaterSense criteria for efficiency and performance will be eligible to receive a label once EPA finalizes the specification. — US Environmental Protection Agency.

5. Other similar devices, such as squat toilets, as in Japan or the Middle East.
6. (figuratively) A shabby or dirty place, especially, a lounge/bar/pub/tavern.

   1982 Look around you. It's a toilet. — Harrison Ford to River Phoenix in w:The Mosquito Coast.

A toilet is a plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes: urine and fecal matter. Additionally, vomit and menstrual waste are sometimes disposed of in toilets in Western societies. The word toilet describes the fixture and, especially in British English, the room containing the fixture. In Canadian English, the latter is euphemistically called a washroom; in American English, a restroom or bathroom. The latter term often describes a room that also contains a bath tub. A room with only a toilet and a sink is sometimes called a half-bathroom, a half bath, and a powder room.

There are two basic types of modern toilets: the dry toilet and the wet toilet, the latter being the most commonly known and producer of blackwater. The dry toilet needs no plumbing for water input or evacuation, but is often coupled with some ventilation system.

Prior to the introduction of modern flush toilets, most human waste disposal took place outdoors in outhouses and latrines. However, the ancient cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, e.g., Harappa and Mohenjo-daro which are located in present day India and Pakistan had flush toilets attached to a sophisticated sewage system—and other forms of toilets were used both in the time of the Romans and Egyptians as well. Although a precursor to the modern flush toilet system was designed in 1596 by John Harington, the toilet did not enter into widespread use until the late nineteenth century, when it was adopted in English upper class residences.