What Is a Commode?
Some people use commode as a euphemism for a toilet.
But what is a commode?
Corbis Historical / Getty Images
Here is a bit of history on how this single word came to have two very different meanings.
What is semantic drift?
The word derives from the French word for “convenient” or “suitable.”
And gradually it evolved to refer to a piece of wooden chair-like furniture that held the chamber pot.
This usage of the term still exists today.
A piece of antique furniture from this period is still called a commode.
Earlier commodes had a bombe or convex shape with a flat back that went against the wall.
Later, the shape became more rectilinear with straighter legs.
Commodes were meant to stand against the wall and were wider than they were tall.
This piece of furniture provided convenient storage and also had a surface on top for placing additional items.
A commode often had a marble slab top and was displayed prominently in the home.
It was aVictorian-styleversion of the master batheven if lacking a bit of the luxury you find today.
By the early 20th century, the word commode became associated with the porcelain toilet.
It remains the more common usage of the term.
1592
Sir John Harrington, a godson of Queen Elizabeth I, invents the first flushing toilet.
Without a sewage system in place, the idea stalls for about 300 years.
18th Century
The French wordcommodemeant achest of drawersor a cabinet for storing personal items.
Antique enthusiasts still use the term today for this collectible piece of furniture.
1775
Alexander Cummings (also known as Alexander Cumming), a watchmaker and inventor, creates the S-trap.
This S-shaped pipe keeps water in the waste pipe, so foul-smelling sewage gases cant enter the toilet.
1861
Thomas Crapper, a plumber and entrepreneur, launched his plumbing business.
Crapper held several patents that improved toilets, including the floating ballcock.
1880s
Flushing toilets and newly constructedsewage systemsstart working together.
20th Century
Commode refers to a toilet, the porcelain plumbing fixture that replaced the chamber pot.
Commode is a euphemistic term used today to refer to a toilet.
Toilet technology updates with flushing valves, low-sitting tanks, and toilet paper rolls.
While toilets are fixed in one spot, bedside commodes are usually portable and offer versatility.
How Bazalgette Built London’s First Super-Sewer.Museum of London.
