One question most people ask when you introduce them to bidet is about bidet origin. Such a question is accommodating as humans are curious beings. You get to hear questions like ‘Did the United States of America invested it?’ ‘What is the pronunciation?’ ‘Where did a bidet originate from and what is bidet original purpose?’
To answer your question surrounding the origin of bidet quickly, and just in case you don’t know, the United States of America did not originate or invested the bidet, and its pronunciation can be quite different from what other countries pronounce it, especially that of the British.
Just before we talk about the bidet origin and how it came to be in its present form, let’s discuss the pronunciation behind it. When you simply call it ‘BEE-DAY’ or stress the intonation, are you doing it correctly?
Bidet Pronunciation: Are You Doing It Right or Wrong?
Just like how almost every word pronunciation becomes an internet war when done with different accents, most people can find it offensive if you are not giving the right pronunciation for bidet, especially when you do it with a certain accent. However, expect you are misspronouncing the word, pronouncing the word ‘bidet’ in the US or UK accent does not mean you are doing it wrong. At least, it’s not an offense to have an accent as it makes you stand out.
Bidet USA Pronunciation
Click the play icon to listen to the USA pronunciation of bidet.
Bidet UK Pronunciation
Click the play icon to listen to the UK pronunciation of the bidet.
The History Behind Bidet: The Bidet Origin
Going back to history, the fancy bidets we have these days is very different appearance in the past. Back then, bidet original use and structure was more like a basin, in which women use to wash themselves after using the restroom or to keep their private parts clean.
Back then, most people bathed less than once a week. Water basins served as an essential tool for personal hygiene long before commercial paper products existed. In modern discussions, the comparison of bidets versus dry toilet paper still echoes this historical distinction, contrasting skin-friendly water rinsing against abrasive, friction-based wiping.
Besides, using water to wash oneself was the regular norms in those days, it was the quick means of purification. It can be done anywhere, including the river, shower, ocean, and bathtubs. So it’s okay to say that the use of plain water for cleanliness contributed to the origin of bidet.
From there, the evolution of what we now call bidet moved from just a small basin filled with water to a bidet. How did this happen? For proper explanations, we will take it from one decade to the next.
Bidet Origin in the 1700s
We have come to understand that the device was not called a “bidet” in its earliest stage; it was initially a simple washing bowl. In the early 1700s, French furniture craftsmen transformed the basin into an independent, four-legged wooden chair designed to be straddled. Modern travelers learning how to use a standalone porcelain bidet in Europe are using the direct plumbing descendant of these original straddle basins.
Looking at the word bidet in French, it means ‘pony’ or ‘small horse’ because of its structure; and if you compare the assembling of those bidets, it looks more like a pony. That was how a conventional basin of water transform to what we now call ‘bidet.’
These French markers continued to design different architectural wooden designs of a bidet with eloquent furniture- cravings and even jeweled accents. With this, the bidet then match the user ceramic chamber pots, which are often at the user’s bedroom.
Sooner after the creation, the bidet became a household property that is being used by both men and women. Though, the mistress and courtesans in the French court or brothel loves it because it made their job easier for the kind of jobs they do. More reason, many tend to link it to help prevent pregnancy, then which was more of a misconception.
In the late 1700s, one significant thing that occurred in the history of the bidet is the introduction of a hand pump to the bidet; this was a step further in its modification.
Bidet in the 1800s
Aside from the improvement made in the bidet in the late 1700s, one important, momentous event that brought bidet to the limelight was when the Queen of Naples and Sicily, Maria Carolina of Austria, requested a bidet, to be brought in her personal bathroom in the Royal Palace of Caserta.
This simple request gave the bidet more exposure as loyalty has more influence then. This happened in the late part of the 1880s. However, unfortunately, this exposure did not last or took off massively as the tissue paper was introduced in that 1800s, specifically in 1857 by Joseph Gayetty. Nevertheless, that was not the stopping point or dead-end for the bidet.
Bidet in the 1990s
Here, the bidet made a comeback after World War II, most specifically in Italy. Though, by this time, there was much more improvement in its edifice; pipes and plumbing work were constructed in it. Thus, it was moved from the bedroom to the bathroom to constitute the structure and redefine the purpose of the room and that of the bathroom too.
Bidets continued spreading throughout Western Europe, South America, and the Middle East, where manual sprayers gained widespread adoption. Widely known as a “shattaf” or “Muslim shower,” these flexible wand units attached beside the toilet; today, learning to install a handheld bidet spray hose remains one of the simplest plumbing additions for flexible hygiene.
In 1962 specifically, what looks close to the modern bidet seat or its patent was created in Switzerland and Florida. Then followed an original production of it in japan in the year 1963, which had widespread sales and campaigns simultaneously.
Even though the rise of the bidet has hit various places in Western Europe, the Middle East, most of, if not all, Asia countries and in South America; Americans were not aware of what the bidet is all about till in 1980. During 1980, the bidet started to appear in some of Americans household outlets. Yet, not everyone knew what it was or how to make use of it though its growth was gradual.
In the 1980s, the bidet underwent its most revolutionary leap forward: Japanese engineers pioneered high-tech electronic seats featuring integrated warm-water nozzles, heated seats, and built-in air dryers. Today, the most popular Japanese bidet toilet seats use intuitive push-button panels and wall-mounted wireless remotes, establishing the modern global standard for automated personal comfort.
Bidet in the 2000s: Different Origin
From the 1990s to the 2000s and the present day, the bidet continues to circulate counties after countries. The development has made so many people stop or reduce their usage of toilet paper and wet wipes to alternate it for a bidet.
And that’s because everyone wants a cleaner butt!
To the present day, there have been so many companies that are into the production of the bidet. They include the TOTO, Brondell, BioBidet, Kolher, GenieBidet, Tushy, and few others.
Each manufacturer leverages advancing technology to engineer high-performance bidet suites and electronic seats. A prime milestone occurred in 2012 with TOTO’s introduction of eWater+ (electrolyzed water) to sanitize nozzles and bowls automatically. Comparing flagship TOTO Washlet models illustrates how this self-cleaning technology progressed from luxury commercial hotels into standard residential bathrooms.
Bidet in the Future?
With this gradual yet severe growth in bidet origin and its industry; we won’t be surprised if we see other remarkable changes or technology within it in the nearest future. So far, the sole aim of improving human health and sustaining a better environment remains the priority. The adoption in the next decades will be mind-blowing.