What does urinal mean?
An urinal is a fixture, usually fixed to a wall, that receives urine from a standing user. It is found chiefly in public restrooms, workplaces, schools, stations, and other facilities where a row of fixtures can serve several people efficiently. Although urinals are strongly associated with men's rooms, the word itself simply identifies the fixture and does not formally restrict where it may be installed. In everyday conversation, people are more likely to say restroom, toilet, washroom, or loo when referring to the room or facility as a whole; urinal is the precise term for the individual fixture. The word has a practical, mildly institutional tone, but it is not offensive in ordinary use. Its name reflects its history: it comes from a Latin adjective meaning “pertaining to urine,” and the modern English sense developed during the 19th century.
nounA fixture, usually attached to a wall, designed for a person to urinate into while standing. Urinals are commonly found in public restrooms and are traditionally associated with men's facilities.
- A plumbing fixture designed to receive urine, typically used by a standing person and commonly installed in men's public restrooms.
"He washed his hands at the sink after using the urinal."
"There was a line at the urinal in the busy train-station restroom."
"The office building has a urinal on each side of the men's washroom."
"A notice asked users to keep the urinal clean."
The standard plural is urinals.
"The new sports center has urinals in every men's locker room."
The word urinal was created from the same Latin root as urine: a literal name for something associated with passing urine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does urinal come from?
English borrowed the word from Latin urinalis, an adjective meaning “pertaining to urine.” That form was built on urina, the Latin word for urine, which also underlies related English terms such as urinary and urinate. The modern sense of a fixture designed for urination developed in the 19th century, although the underlying Latin vocabulary is much older.
How urinal is actually used
Urinal is a practical, institutional term rather than a formal or literary one. It is especially common in public facilities and in descriptions of men's restrooms; in general conversation, toilet, bathroom, restroom, or loo may be preferred.
Easily confused with urinal
An urinal is a fixture for urinating, whereas urinalysis is the laboratory analysis of a urine sample.