la|va|bo

la|va|bo «luh VAY boh», noun, plural -boes.

1. Also, Lavabo. in the Roman Catholic Church: a) the ritual washing of the celebrant's hands during the Mass, before beginning the Consecration. b) the passage recited during this ceremony (Psalm 25:6-12 in the Douay Version). c) the basin used for the washing.

2. a) (in many monasteries of the Middle Ages) a trough, or the room in which the trough stood, for washing before religious exercises or meals. b) = washstand. (Cf. ↑washstand)

3. a small ornamental basin hung on the wall of a hall or living room and sometimes used for holding plants.

╂[< Latin lavābo I shall wash (from the first word of the verses said with the ritual)]