Lavatory

(Lat. lavatorium), a cistern or trough to wash in. There was usually a lavatory in the cloisters of monastic establishments, at which the inmates washed their hands and faces, also the surplices and other vestments; some are still extant. This name is also given to the piscina (q.v.). In the south of Germany the lavatory is an important feature resembling a baptistery; it is a separate chamber, square or octagonal, standing on one side of the cloister-court, with a reservoir of water or a fountain in the middle, and watertroughs around the sides for washing at.-Parker, Glossary, s.v.