The History of the Term “Commode”

The word "commode" causes some confusion. Some people use commode as a euphemism for a toilet. But the word can also be used to describe a chest of drawers—a usage that is perhaps more common among antique furniture enthusiasts. Here is a bit of history on how this single word came to have two very different meanings. 

Language Change

The evolution of the word is an example of a phenomenon that linguists call semantic drift—a gradual change in the meaning of a word as it becomes used in changing contexts. In early 18th-century France, the word commode meant a chest of drawers or a cabinet for storing personal items. The word derives from the French word for "convenient" or "suitable." 

Later on, "commode" was used to mean a particular type of cabinet that held chamber pots. And gradually it evolved to refer to a piece of wooden chair-like furniture that held the chamber pot. In the final stage of the word's semantic drift, the term was used to refer to the porcelain plumbing fixture that replaced the chamber pot altogether—the toilet. This usage of the term still exists today. 

The Commode Cabinet

Commodes were introduced in the 18th century in France and were both decorative and useful. A piece of antique furniture from this period is still called a commode. A French commode is a low cabinet or chest of drawers, often with elaborate decoration and usually standing on cabriole legs or short feet. Earlier commodes had a bombe or convex shape with a flat back that went against the wall. Later, the shape became more rectilinear with straighter legs.

Commodes were meant to stand against the wall and were wider than they were tall. This piece of furniture provided convenient storage and also had a surface on top for placing additional items. A commode often had a marble slab top and was displayed prominently in the home. Sometimes commodes were paired with mirrors, and matching pairs of commodes were often used in a room.

Because of its usefulness, the commode became an indispensable piece of furniture and, before the mid-18th century, it made its way from royal and aristocratic houses to more humble ones. It was well on its way to becoming a humble, yet useful, piece of furniture that it is today. Gradually by the late 19th century, the commode became even more subdued in form and ultimately, it became a purely functional piece of furniture, now referred to as a chest of drawers.

The Toilet Commode 

The association of the word commode with a toilet began with the night commode, a 19th-century Victorian term for a bedside cabinet with doors, that was kept in the bedroom. These enclosed cabinets provided an area for storing chamber pots and had a basin and pitcher on top for personal cleansing. It was a Victorian-style version of the master bath—even if lacking a bit of the luxury you find today. At this time, a chamber pot commode was no doubt the height of convenience in the middle of the night.

By the early 20th century, the word commode became associated with the porcelain toilet. It remains the more common usage of the term. Only antique furniture enthusiasts are likely to own a "commode" that is not a fixture in the bathroom. 

Timeline of the Commode

Despite the invention of the flushing toilet in 1592, common use didn’t take off until the mid-1800s, when toilet technology advanced along with the infrastructure of sewage systems.

1592

Sir John Harrington, a godson of Queen Elizabeth I, invents the first flushing toilet. Without a sewage system in place, the idea stalls for about 300 years.

18th Century

The French word commode meant a chest of drawers or a cabinet for storing personal items. Antique enthusiasts still use the term today for this collectible piece of furniture.

1775

Alexander Cummings (also known as Alexander Cumming), a watchmaker and inventor, creates the S-trap. This S-shaped pipe keeps water in the waste pipe, so foul-smelling sewage gases can’t enter the toilet.

19th Century

A night commode was a Victorian term for a bedside cabinet with doors that housed chamber pots, eventually meaning a wooden chair that held the chamber pot.

1865 

The City of London constructs a modern sewage system. Other cities in Europe and the United States also build their first sewage systems in the mid-1800s.

1861

Thomas Crapper, a plumber and entrepreneur, launched his plumbing business. Crapper held several patents that improved toilets, including the floating ballcock. He also displayed toilets in a showroom he opened in 1870 and promoted the idea of having a toilet inside the home.

1880s

Flushing toilets and newly constructed sewage systems start working together.

20th Century

Commode refers to a toilet, the porcelain plumbing fixture that replaced the chamber pot. Commode is a euphemistic term used today to refer to a toilet.

Toilet technology updates with flushing valves, low-sitting tanks, and toilet paper rolls.