Why Is The Bathroom Called The Head

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Why is the bathroom called the head. On military vessels the bathroom is called the head. The term comes from the days of sailing ships when the place for the crew to relieve themselves was all the way forward on either side of the bowsprit the integral part of the hull to which the figurehead was fastened. Head the head aboard a navy ship is the bathroom.
In these the marine toilets were on each side of the bowsprit. This came from the fact that classically the toilet on a marine vessel was located at the front of the ship the head. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship.
On military vessels the bathroom is called the head. Don t get me started on how disgusting it is that we now typically combine these water closets date from the mid 1700s but didn t become common until somewhat later. A hint comes from the days of the old sailing ships.
So why is a marine toilet called a head. This section needs additional citations for verification. The shower is a separate tiny cell.
To all seafarers the marine toilet is referred to as a head. Heads is a ship s toilet. The toilets were located here because waste could be washed away by the spray from the waves and any smells from them would be blown away by the following wind.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. The head aboard a naval ship is the bathroom or toilet. Text version head describing a toilet was originally a maritime euphemism.