People are only now starting to realize what the letters “WC” on a toilet sign actually imply.
Public bathrooms are referred to by a variety of names in the United States. Some refer to it as the throne, some as the lavatory, and still others simply as the restroom.
The “WC” sign is used to identify most public restrooms, but no one seems to know what it means.
But now that we know.
Spending a lot of time online teaches you new things every day, whether it’s the hidden uses for shopping cart hooks, the meaning behind M&M initials, or how to properly use the fourth side of a cheesegrater. The internet is a goldmine for this kind of obscure but oddly fascinating information.
But the internet is perplexed by a new toilet discovery.
“I’m glad someone asked because I’ve been wondering for years but never googled it,” one person comments.
“It’s unbelievable that I’ve been living with a WC sign and didn’t know why it was called WC,” another person says.
“When I found out, I was 23 years old,” another person remarks.
“I know, but don’t use it (don’t use the word—do use the WC,” a fourth responds.
Others, on the other hand, are shocked that individuals have gone their entire lives without knowing what “WC” truly means.
“What?” asks a second individual. Who is unaware of this?
“Surely everyone is aware of the meaning of ‘WC’?” A third asks.
When you break it down, the true meaning of “WC” really makes perfect sense.
The origin of the name can be traced back to the history of toilets.
Many people turned their clothes closets into tiny areas with toilets as houses began to incorporate indoor plumbing.
Only a couple of these areas of the house had flowing water.
Nowadays, many people refer to the area where the toilet is located as the bathroom.
However, in the past, a bathroom was a space containing a bathtub that was completely separate from the toilet.
As @itsnathannyc recounts on a since-deleted TikTok: “We really had a room for the bathtub, a bathroom, before indoor plumbing. The spout, however, was outdoors. Water had to be heated, carried in with a bucket, and then poured into the tub.
“Where do you put the toilet when indoor plumbing is introduced and a bathroom with a bathtub already exists? The simplest location for a toilet is a closet, so just put it there.
Since they were one of the few places in the house with running water, they later came to be known as “water closets.”
First of all, WC stands for “water closet,” a term that was used for toilets in the 1900s since the majority were installed in spare closets or cupboards. According to Plumb World, the term “WC” has been used in place of “bathroom” to refer to a room that has a toilet but no bathtub.
Then, the TikToker explains that WC is an acronym for “water closet.”