garderobe

Noun

garderobe (plural garderobes)

1. (historical) A storeroom or wardrobe.
2. (historical) A lavatory, especially in a castle and built into the outer wall, with vent directly over the moat or midden.
   • He splashed some tepid water on his face from the basin beside his bed and took his time squatting in the garderobe, the night air cold on his bare skin.1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 444
   • In the early medieval period (1066-1300), the solution in huge stone castles was garderobes: small rooms that jutted out over the walls with a hole covered by a seat. Castle builders tried to site garderobes over a stream or a moat, but this was not always possible.2000, Alan Brooks-Tyreman, Jane Shuter, Kate Smith, Britain, 1066-1500, Heinemann Educational, page 30