women's room

English

Alternative forms

• woman's room

Etymology

Probably a generic variant of the earlier-attested ladies' room (“a waiting room for women”).

Noun

women's room (plural women's rooms)

1. (chiefly US, euphemistic) Synonym of ladies' room: a public lavatory intended for women.
   • 1918 May 16, US Department of Labor, Monthly Labor Review:

     Women were expected to use the toilet provided for the general public... Plans have been made for a women's room at this station.

2. (historical) A waiting room in a railway station or other public building intended exclusively for women and usually including a separate women's lavatory.

Synonyms

• (lavatory): See Thesaurus:bathroom
• (women's waiting room): ladies' room

Hypernyms

• (lavatory): See Thesaurus:bathroom
• (waiting room): waiting room

Coordinate terms

• men's room

Related terms

• little girls' room

References

• "woman, n." in the Oxford English Dictionary (2011), Oxford: Oxford University Press.