1. water closet [Longman Dictionary]
noun [ C usually singular ] uk /ˈwɔː.tə ˌklɒz.ɪt/ us /ˈwɑː.t̬ɚ ˌklɑː.zɪt/
[old-fashioned] a toilet
2. water closet [Cambridge Dictionary
full form of WC: a toilet, or a room containing a toilet
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I looked up the word 'water closet' in the dictionaries.
What does 'closet' mean in 'water closet'? Does 'closet' mean 'a room' or ' a toilet bowl'?
If 'water closet' means 'toilet', 'closet' could mean the toilet bowl. If 'water closet' is 'a room with a toilet', 'closet' could mean the room. Don't you think so?
2 answers
It means the room that contains the toilet. We answered this before, didn't we? It does not mean the bowl.
The Oxford dictionary does define it as the toilet itself. A closet is usually a small room or wardrobe, someplace that is secret, not public. It signifies privacy. "The conversation was held in the closet", meaning in secret. A homosexual may be "in the closet" if he/she does not want his/her sexual orientation revealed to the public.
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/water_closet
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/closet
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/water_closet
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/closet