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

Example Sentences

There are towels in the cabinet above the commode.

Recent Examples on the Web

This bath has a separate room for the commode, a bidet and the shower. —James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 9 Dec. 2022

My grandparents had an outhouse, and a favorite haunt of spiders is under the seat in these quaint commodes. —Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, 3 May 2023

The 250-year-old Macret commode is expected to realize between $832,000 and $1.25 million, while the Jacobs fauteuil has a pre-auction estimate of $104,000 to $208,000. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 Nov. 2022

Those concerned with conservation can look to the privies in Toto’s new Drake Tornado Flush line, for instance, which can forcefully function with as little as eight tenths of a gallon per flush compared with the 1.6 your current commode likely requires (from $428, TotoUSA.com). —Matthew Kronsberg, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022

The woman was sitting directly on the commode. —Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011

The jetted tub could fit two, there is a double sink vanity, large shower and a separate room for the commode. —Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2023

Randi, her sisters and brother-in-law moved most of the furniture out of her room to make space for an extra-wide hospital bed, a leather recliner and a commode. —Jaeah Lee, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2023

Additional furniture offerings include a Louis XV-period floral marquetry commode fashioned by Antoine-Robert Gaudreau and a console table from Adam Weisweiler. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2023

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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