bedpan

American

[bed-pan] / ˈbɛdˌpæn /

noun

a shallow toilet pan for use by persons confined to bed.
bedwarmer.

bedpan British

/ ˈbɛdˌpæn /

noun

a shallow vessel placed under a bedridden patient to collect faeces and urine
another name for warming pan

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bedpan

First recorded in 1575–85; bed + pan ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She reserved her deepest attention for the orderlies who came in to change her bedpan and her sheets.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2023

But after one of my colleagues said it looked like a bedpan, I just couldn’t unsee the resemblance.

From The Verge • May 28, 2022

The curriculum covers the practical aspects of working in a nursing home: bed-making, catheter care, using a bedpan and transferring residents from a wheelchair to a bed.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2022

Would people drink apple juice if it was served in a brand-new bedpan?

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2021

He knows about Patricia in two days because she got out of the bed to go to the lavatory when she was supposed to use a bedpan and collapsed and died in the lavatory.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023