<P> In the UK, toilet - integrated bidets with drying facility are becoming more widespread for use among people with physical disabilities . </P> <P> Bidet is a French word for "pony", and in Old French, bider meant "to trot". This etymology comes from the notion that one "rides" or straddles a bidet much like a pony is ridden . The word "bidet" was used in 15th century France to refer to the pet ponies that French royalty kept . </P> <P> The bidet appears to have been an invention of French furniture makers in the late 17th century, although no exact date or inventor is known . The earliest written reference to the bidet is in 1726 in Italy . Even though there are records of Maria Carolina of Austria, Queen of Naples and Sicily, requesting a bidet for her personal bathroom in the Royal Palace of Caserta in the second half of the 18th century, the bidet did not diffuse in Italy until after WWII . The bidet is possibly associated with the chamber pot and the bourdaloue, the latter being a small, hand - held chamber pot . </P> <P> Historical antecedents and early functions of the bidet are believed to include devices used for contraception . Bidets are considered ineffective by today's standards of contraception, and their use for this function was quickly abandoned and forgotten with the advent of modern contraceptives such as the pill . </P>

What is the second toilet in european bathrooms