Definition of potty

The expression "potty" is a playful term used to refer to a toilet or a portable toilet seat for young children learning to use the restroom. The origin of this word can be traced back to the British dialect, where it originally referred to a chamber pot, which is a type of container used for personal hygiene needs. In the 1940s, chamber pots began to fall out of favor in urban areas, where public facilities were readily available. However, parents with young children who were too small to use a standard-sized toilet found chamber pots to be a convenient alternative. The term "potty" then evolved to describe these smaller, child-sized chairs that could be used as training seats for toilet training. As the term "potty" gained popularity in the UK, it eventually spread to other English-speaking countries, including the United States. In contemporary times, the term "potty" is still commonly used to describe children's toilet seats or portable toilets for young children, sometimes interchangeably with the term "potty chair."