A bidet is a low, basin-like
bathroom fixture, usually with spigots, used for bathing the genital
and perineal areas. It is also the French name for a small saddle
horse originated during the early 1600s.
The modern bidet that resembles a toilet was developed in the 19th
century, and the very popular bidet seat came about in the 1960s,
with one of the most popular invented by an American, Arnold Cohen.
Bidet use greatly reduces the need for toilet paper, which in North
America is over 36 billion rolls per year.
Incidentally, over 2.6 billion people (40% of the
world’s population.) have no access to a toilet.