commode

noun

com·​mode kə-ˈmōd 

1

a

: a low chest of drawers

b

: a boxlike structure holding a chamber pot under an open seat

also : chamber pot

c

: toilet sense 1a

d

: a movable washstand with a cupboard underneath

2

: a woman's ornate cap popular in the late 17th and early 18th centuries

Illustration of commode

• commode 2

Examples of commode in a Sentence

There are towels in the cabinet above the commode.

Recent Examples on the Web

The primary suite encompasses the entire third floor and has a fireplace, vaulted ceilings, a custom walk-in closet and a marble spa bath with dual vanities, a steam shower and two commodes. —Lauryn Azu, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024

Cost overruns for cargo plane commodes have captured headlines before. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024

Toilets and other objects for relieving oneself are also on display, including an ornate commode styled after a stacks of books, and porcelain portable chamber pots that resemble fancy gravy boats, but were in fact designed for women in the 18th century to relieve themselves in public. —Miles Socha, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019

Accessibility: Several rooms have roll-in showers with bars and fold-down seats, accessible commode, entry, and bathroom doors, commode bars, raised vanity sink for roll-in access, plus hearing and communication features. —Emily Hochberg, Travel + Leisure, 17 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from commode, adjective, suitable, convenient, from Latin commodus, from com- + modus measure — more at mete

First Known Use

circa 1688, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

commode

noun

com·​mode kə-ˈmōd 

1

a

: a low chest of drawers

b

: a movable washstand with a cupboard underneath

2

: toilet sense 2b