Definition

Noun: A large, open container, typically rectangular and made of porcelain, acrylic, or fiberglass, that is filled with water for the purpose of washing or soaking the entire body.

Usage

The word "bathtub" refers specifically to the fixed plumbing fixture used for bathing. It is a compound noun, but it functions as a single lexical unit. It is commonly used in domestic contexts.

Examples

• She relaxed in a warm bathtub after a long day.
• The hotel room had a luxurious marble bathtub.
• He is cleaning the bathtub with a special cleaner.

Advanced Usage

• "to throw the baby out with the bathwater": This idiom means to discard something valuable while trying to get rid of something unwanted. It historically references the act of emptying a bathtub.
  • Example: Changing the entire policy would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater; we should just fix the flawed parts.

Variants and Related Words

• Tub (noun): A common, informal synonym for "bathtub."
  • Example: The children are playing in the tub.
• Bath (noun): Can refer to the act of bathing or the water in a bathtub, but not the fixture itself.
  • Example: I'm going to run a bath. (This means to fill the bathtub with water.)
• Bathtub gin (noun): A historical term for homemade or illicitly produced alcohol, so named because it was sometimes made in bathtubs.
  • Example: During Prohibition, bathtub gin was common.

Synonyms

• Tub
• Bath (when referring to the container in specific contexts, though this is less precise)

Antonyms

• Shower (a fixture for bathing under a spray of water, rather than in a contained pool)

Related Phrases

• Clawfoot bathtub: A style of bathtub standing on decorative feet.
• Bathtub ring: A line of residue (e.g., soap scum) left on the sides of a bathtub after the water drains.

Noun

1. a relatively large open container that you fill with water and use to wash the body