backhouse en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From back + house.
Meanings
-
(dialectal) An outbuilding behind the main building, or an annex attached to the rear of it; especially, a scullery or washhouse.
[…] to abstene […] fra all melting […] of talloun within thair bak hous […]
1557, Edinburgh Burgh Records, volume III, page 17:
-
(Canada, US, euphemistic) An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory.
BACK'HOUSE... a necessary.
1847, Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language:[…] the chlorides Mother was always throwing into the little outdoor backhouse […]
1939, Christopher Morley, chapter II, in Kitty Foyle, page 23:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| back house | alternative | lexicographic | |
| backhouses | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| back-house | alternative | lexicographic |
Descendants
Hypernyms
outbuilding · house · backside
Synonyms
backside (outhouse)