Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A communal toilet of a type often used in a camp or barracks.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A privy; a water-closet; especially, a water-closet in a public place, as in factories, schools, barracks, hospitals, etc.
Wiktionary
- n. a very simple toilet facility, usually just a pit or trench. See also the slang terms john and johnny house.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A privy, or water-closet, esp. in a camp, hospital, etc.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a public toilet in a military area
Etymologies
- From Latin lātrīna. (Wiktionary)
- From French latrines, privies, from Old French, from Latin lātrīna, privy, from lavātrīna, bath, privy; see leu(ə)- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The latrine is within the barbed wire at a little distance from the quarters with two seats and a urinal (Pit-type).”
“This drawing of a latrine is painted on a wall next to the main square in San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca.”
“We need a reliable supply of drinking water, mattresses and bedding, as well as kitchen utensils," says Zeenat, adding that "a latrine is a priority.”
The Huffington Post: Joop Koopman: Poorest in Pakistan Journey Toward a Better Life
“I growled that I didn't put any faith in latrine-gossip - especially if the latrine was a Hindoo one, and at this one of the older men, Sardul something-or-other, shook his head and says gravely:”
“And the spot Joe and I had chosen for our latrine was a good forty yards from the tent.”
“On my first visit, I discovered that the latrine was a couple of holes in the ground that you squatted over to relieve yourself.”
“Our latrine was a five-gallon can in the center of the hold; it was soon filled.”
“I growled that I didn't put any faith in latrine-gossip — especially if the latrine was a Hindoo one, and at this one of the older men, Sardul something-or-other, shook his head and says gravely:”
“Their latrine was a folding lawn chair with a hole in it.”
“When soldiers finally allowed her to use a latrine in the courtyard, she found her brother's body there, wrapped in a bloody sheet.”
The Huffington Post: Madeleine Bair: Casualties on the Battlefield of the "War on Drugs"
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘latrine’.
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Fake Minerals & Gemstones
dogbite, oliverstone, priceisrite, flapis faloozi, uptite, spondulikite, flashlite, crumpetwithvegemite, samsonite, goodnite, tennisquartz, fallfromagreathite and 101 more...
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Good Words
fenestering, cetic, immanent, quickening, archetypal, shibboleth, soma, wetware, heritable, Apotheosis, halcyon, cellar door and 482 more...
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The things they carried (List 2)
Listening to this as an audio book for the second time. Tim O'Brien uses simple words and phrases to great effect. Very few unfamilar and big words . The writing style reminds me of words from Joh...
The, Things, They, Carried, meant, fond, By necessity,, presented to him, far beyond, against the brick..., reaching, taut and 2940 more...
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the house of spirits
hatbox, cabalistic, viscera, gringo, collateral, concupiscence, negritude, impunity, panoply, barro, cossack, harangue and 35 more...
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When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go
Names for the place where you do your business.
privy, toilet, latrine, baño, bathroom, restroom, outhouse, john, throne room, ladies' room, lavatory, potty and 26 more...
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Kerrily's Vomitrocious Words
honky tonk, ding-a-ling, awkward, chiffon, dowdy, dawdle, spleen, uvula, lettuce, kielbasa, frankfurter, hamburg and 16 more...
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L is for La Ti Da
My L Words
la ti da, lady, lady killer, lagoon, lazybones, leapfrog, lederhosen, librarian, library, lickety-split, lion-hearted, lionhearted and 34 more...
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rosemilk's favourites
abattoir, cloisonné, lux, deluxe, absinthe, liqueur, latrine, tambourine, luscious, parallax, harlot, harlequin and 7 more...
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pynchonesque
fondue, codicil, variorum, blowgun, disk jockey, malfunctioning, convoluted, grabassing, tranquilizers, hieroglyphic, hypodermic, diffusion and 83 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for latrine.
ruzuzu I suppose this is where I should point out that the singular form of the old Latvian coin is actually lats. May 23, 2012
bilby I suppose there was terrible confusion with people using the third person singular of the verb 'to lat'. May 23, 2012
GHibbs At children's camps in the 1940's when we had to dig our own trenches, and more recently they referred to them as lats. May 22, 2012