Bidet
/ˈbiː.deɪ/noun
A low bathroom fixture used for washing the genitals and buttocks.
Did you know?Bidet comes from French bidet, originally meaning a small horse or pony, because you “straddled” it the way you straddle the fixture.
Etymological Timeline
15th Century
French
bidet
“a small horse or pony”
17th Century
French
bidet
“a low, basin-like toilet fixture for washing”
Late 17th Century
Italian
bidè
“a borrowing from French referring to the washing fixture”
18th Century
English
bidet
“a bathroom fixture for washing the body after using the toilet”
Modern English
English
bidet
“a plumbing fixture used for personal washing”