What does potty mean?
A potty is a small toilet made for young children who are learning to control their bladder and bowels and to use the toilet independently. The term is especially common in North American households and in discussions of potty training, where phrases such as “take him to the potty” and “potty-trained” naturally describe both the object and a child’s stage of development. It can also refer more formally to a chamber pot, although that sense is now dated or literary. As a verb, the word means to use a potty. As an adjective, it describes a child who has learned to use one. Although the word is most frequent in family contexts, it can also appear humorously or nostalgically when adults discuss their own early experiences with potty training. Its diminutive form and familiar tone make it particularly effective for describing a child-sized bathroom fixture rather than a standard toilet.
A small portable toilet for young children who are learning to control their bladder and bowels; historically, also a chamber pot.
"He was ready for the potty, so his mother helped him down from the chair."
The child-training sense is especially common in North American English. The chamber-pot sense is dated or literary.
To use a potty, especially as a young child.
"The little boy potties before his nap."
Having learned to use a potty, especially as a young child.
"Their two-year-old is already potty-trained."
The plural is used for individual child-sized toilets or chamber pots.
"The nursery has several potties in brightly colored sizes."
The word’s childlike ending makes its small scale unmistakable: a potty is made for children who are still learning the bathroom routine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does potty come from?
The word is a diminutive of “pot,” reflecting its association with a small receptacle. It developed in the context of children’s toilet training and household speech, where the familiar ending “-y” helps mark it as a reduced or child-sized object. The older sense referring to a portable chamber pot predates its modern use for child-training toilets.
Related word forms
How potty is actually used
The word is informal and especially common in North American child-rearing contexts. It may sound old-fashioned or deliberately quaint when referring to a chamber pot.
Easily confused with potty
A potty is a small child-sized toilet or, historically, a portable chamber pot, whereas a toilet generally refers to a full-sized bathroom fixture.