A mat placed on the floor of a bathroom, usually in front of or inside a bathtub, to provide grip and absorb water.
Compound of 'bath' (Old English 'bæð') and 'mat' (from Middle Low German or Dutch 'mat'). This is a modern household product term that emerged as indoor plumbing became common.
Bathmats became necessary when hard tiles replaced wooden bathroom floors—without them, you're basically ice skating on slippery, wet ceramic, which explains why bathroom falls are surprisingly common!
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