Latrine

A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility which is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or more advanced designs, including pour-flush systems. A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility which is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or more advanced designs, including pour-flush systems. The term 'latrine' is still commonly used in emergency sanitation situations. Nowadays, the word 'toilet' is more commonly used than 'latrine', except for simple systems like 'pit latrine' or 'trench latrine'. The use of latrines was a major advancement in sanitation over more basic practices such as open defecation, and helped control the spread of many waterborne diseases The word 'latrine' is derived from the Latin lavatrina, meaning bath. It is nowadays still commonly used in the term 'pit latrine'. It has the connotation of something being less advanced and less hygienic than a standard toilet. It is typically used to describe communal facilities, such as the shallow-trench latrines used in emergency sanitation situations, e.g. after an earthquake, flood or other natural disaster.