Standard Lemma guide

bedpan

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈbɛdˌpæn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: B EH1 D P AE2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A pan used for urination and defecation while in bed, now usually for reasons of medical necessity or convenience.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The nurse emptied the patient's bedpan each morning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a shallow vessel used by a bedridden patient for defecation and urination

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vessel

History

Etymology

From bed + pan ("chamber pot").

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: подлога (podloga) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Catalan: orinal pla — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 便盆 (biànpén) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Danish: bækken — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Dutch: ondersteek — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Finnish: alusastia — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • French: bassin hygiénique — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • German: Steckbecken — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • German: Stechbecken — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • German: Ente Schieber — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • German: Bettschüssel — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • German: Bettpfanne — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Greek: πάπια (pápia) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Greek: ουροδοχείο (ourodocheío) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Greek: σκοραμίδα (skoramída) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Hungarian: ágytál — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Irish: soitheach leapan — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Italian: padella — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Italian: pappagallo — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Japanese: 便器 (benki) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Japanese: おまる (omaru) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Korean: 요강 (yogang) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Latin: metella — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bekken — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bekken — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Polish: basen — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Portuguese: comadre — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Portuguese: papagaio — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Russian: су́дно (súdno) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Russian: у́тка (útka) — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: cuña — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: galanga — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: chata — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: pato — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: tiorba — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: gallo — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: papagayo — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: violín — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: conejo — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Spanish: silleta — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Turkish: ördek — chamber pot used while still in bed
  • Welsh: padell wely — chamber pot used while still in bed