Dictionary

washpit en · NOUN

Etymology

From wash + pit.

Meanings

1. An outdoor pit with water running through it, used to wash livestock.
   • All Crickway with ye rushy hades below Crickford and all long washpit lands and leas with all short washpit lands and all comon ground at ye upper end and costydean furlong straight from Ralph Jackson's for shooter of hanging woolbreach into costydean with costydean and all stanwell hill from ye nether side up to John Cave senior's land between John Bawcut's and Thomas Edward's land […] 1995, David Hall, The Open Fields of Northamptonshire, page 21:
   • The footpath from Gilmorton village towards Lutterworth, which now enters Lutterworth road nearly opposite Gilmorton house, is described in the Award as to enter that road near the washpit, having to be made one field distant from, and parallel with that road, on the west side thereof. 1918, Martin Bloxsom, A History of the Parish of Gilmorton, in the County of Leicester, page 70:
   • This washpit is supplied with water passing through an inlet channel cut from the rivulet at its higher level and outof the pit into the stream by an outlet channel lower down. 1893 June 3, “Rivers Pollution Act, 1876—Water flowing into stream from washpit for sheep—Remedy”, in Justice of the Peace, volume 57, number 22:
2. A recessed area of a service station over which a car can be parked in order to be washed.
   • […] he returned to the station around midnight and found the glass in the washpit door had been broken out, the glass in the door separating the lubrication room from the sales office had been broken, and a transistor radio and a pair of gloves had been taken from the service station . 1969, The Southeastern Reporter, page 474:
   • Then the chassis and all the understructure is given a thorough cleaning in the washpit in the shop proper. 1922, Motor Age - Volume 42, page 12:
   • Everything works! Elevator, its signal lights, roof doors, electric light reflector, translucent plastic gas tank and pump with overhead lights, washpit with running stream. 1950 November 27, “Set-up Service Station”, in LIFE, volume 29, number 22, page 77:

Forms