Chamber pot

A chamber pot (also a jordan, a jerry, a guzunder, a po (possibly from French: pot de chambre), a potty pot, a potty, or a thunder pot) is a bowl-shaped container with a handle, and often a lid, kept in the bedroom under a bed or in the cabinet of a nightstand and generally used as a toilet at night. In Victorian times, some chamber pots would be built into a cabinet with a closeable cover.

History

Chamber pots were used in ancient Greece at least since the 6th century BC and were known under different names: ἀμίς (amis),οὐράνη (ouranē) and οὐρητρίς (ourētris, from οὖρον - ouron, "urine"), σκωραμίς / (skōramis), χερνίβιον (chernibion).

The introduction of indoor toilets started to displace chamber pots in the 19th century but such pots were in common use until the mid-20th century.

Chamber pots continue in use today in countries lacking indoor plumbing such as rural areas of China, and have been redesigned as the bedpan for use with the very ill.