commode
The toilet; the porcelain seat in the bathroom.
Also called toilet, pot.
Updated September 21, 2026
commode pronunciation
/kuh-MODE/
Meaning
In a lot of Southern and Appalachian households, especially among older folks, the bathroom fixture is the commode. Toilet can sound rough, or it can mean the outhouse. You hear Where's the commode? at a relative's house the same way other people ask for the bathroom.
How folks use it
- “The plumber's coming to fix the commode.”
- “Kids, flush the commode and wash your hands.”
Origin and etymology
From French commode, "convenient," first for furniture and fancy headdresses, then for a cabinet holding a chamber pot (mid-1800s). American Southern speech shifted the word onto the flush toilet. Outside the South, people may still hear antique furniture or a portable hospital chair when you say it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a commode the same as a toilet?
In Southern talk, usually yes: the bathroom fixture. Elsewhere it can also mean a chest of drawers or a portable potty chair.