Meaning behind the ‘WC’ sign outside bathrooms

WC Sign. Credit / Shutterstock

If so, you’re not alone as people around the world are trying to unravel the mystery of the WC, a space that identifies a room containing a toilet and a sink.

And while we’ll offer you an explanation of the WC, we can’t promise the term will make anymore sense than restroom, bathroom or loo…

In 2020, a couple named Shelby and Dylan shared a TikTok video that revealed a major difference in how some Americans and Canadians do their business.

“What in the world is a washroom?” asks Dylan as he walks by sign that says “washroom.”

“And what are they washing in there? Oh, it’s a restroom. The only thing I wash in there is my hands,” he tells his wife. Off-camera, Shelby can be heard asking: “Do you rest in a restroom?”

Watch on TikTok
“That’s a good point. They both don’t make much sense,” Dylan adds.

Online users jumped into the comments section, offering their opinions on the term they prefer to use for the sacred room. “It’s called a bathroom, restroom, washroom and toilet,” offers one user.

A third adds, “Wait ‘til he finds out about water closets.”

Water closet
According to Mirriam Webster’s Dictionary, “water closet” is a noun that describes “a compartment or room with a toilet” or “a toilet bowl and its accessories.”

Back in the day, when someone would use the bathroom, it was to take a bath. And when a person used a restroom, it was apparently to rest or get ready for the day by using the sink and mirror.

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