Pissoir
/pɪˈswɑːr/noun
A public urinal, especially one formerly found on streets in France.
Did you know?Parisian street urinals were once called *vespasiennes*, a name linked to Roman Emperor Vespasian, who famously taxed urine collected for industrial use.
Etymological Timeline
Late Antiquity
Vulgar Latin
pissiare
“To urinate; an expressive or imitative formation”
12th Century
Old French
pissier
“To urinate”
13th–15th Century
Middle French
pisser
“To urinate”
19th Century
French
pissoir
“A place or structure for urinating”
19th Century
English
pissoir
“A public urinal, borrowed from French”