Learn English – American word for commode

colloquialismseuphemismsoffensive-languageslangvocabulary

I know several words for the toilet, i.e. bathroom. However I want to know the colloquial word for the seat on which one sits while defecating. I have read john somewhere but never heard an American actually use it in real or on TV. How common is the word in real? If not, what's the most commonly used word or words throughout the United States?

And while we're at it, is commode itself used commonly in American English? If not, what's the American non-slang equivalent?

P.S. I understand there are euphemistic alternatives such as bathroom or lavatory while referring to the act of defecating itself. My question, however, is more specific to the bowl and not the act. For example, consider this statement: "My bowl/commode/john/etc. is broken." One cannot use bathroom here. What's the word (or words) a typical American is most likely to use in this context?

Best Answer

Commode: (from The American Heritage® Dictionary)

  • A low cabinet or chest of drawers, often elaborately decorated and usually standing on legs or short feet.

  • A movable stand or cupboard containing a washbowl.

  • A toilet.

Toilet vs commode:

  • Why do some folks call the toilet a commode? At one point in history, the commode was a piece of furniture you’d put a chamberpot in. Today, commode is still a common term heard in the American South. Elsewhere, the term commode denotes a kind of cabinet, causing confusion when journalists mistook reports of Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham taking a bribe in the form of a pair of antique commodes worth more than $7000. What do you call your porcelain throne?

Ngram - Toilet vs commode

Why the Toilet is sometimes called a “John ”?

  • The term is thought to derive from Sir John Harrington or, at the least, to have been popularized due to Harrington. (There are a few references of the toilet being called “Cousin John”, as well as many references to it being called “Jake” and other such generic names, before Harrington was born; but it is generally agreed that why we now call it “John” is because of Harrington and not from the old “Cousin John”).

Toilet is the term you should use, commode has a restricted use though it is still common in some parts of US. John as well as other nouns are slang terms and should be used with care. (See extract about "John" ).