necessary house
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Likely formed under influence from necessarium (“monastic latrine, outhouse, or lavatory”) and necessary (“outhouse; lavatory”).
Noun[edit]
necessary house (plural necessary houses)
- (euphemistic, obsolete) An outhouse: an outbuilding used for the "necessary" business of urination and defecation.
- 1747 15 December, Lord Chesterfield, letter:
- I knew a gentleman who was so good a manager of his time that he would not even lose that small portion of it which the calls of nature obliged him to pass in the necessary-house; but gradually went through all the Latin poets in those moments.
- 1747 15 December, Lord Chesterfield, letter:
Synonyms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
- See necessary
References[edit]
- Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. "necessary, adj. and n." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2003.