by 
The Curious Bag
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The word bidet has two meanings, one clearly more apt to be used than the other. The Oxford English Dictionary dates its first usage back to 1630.
Etymology
The word "bidet" is of French origin, and in English is pronounced bee-day.
Definition 1
One meaning of the word is "a small horse" or pony. This is the oldest meaning of the word, dating back to the 1630 usage.
Definition 2
The more commonly used "bidet" refers to a low, basin-like plumbing fixture, sometimes confused with a toilet. It has spigots for water and is usually straddled and used to wash genital areas and the anus, but is often used to wash other areas, such as the feet.
History
The usage of the term "bidet" for the toilet-like basin is thought to have come from the need to straddle it, much like a pony. Created in the late 17th or early 18th century in France, its inventor is unknown.
Toilet/Bidet
In more recent years the concepts of toilet and bidet have been merged through the usage of a nozzle or fountain attached to a toilet. When used like this, cleansing is restricted to genitalia and the anus, and is sometimes referred to as a "paperless toilet."
Geography
Bidets are common in many southern European countries, some places in Latin America, Egypt, Morocco, parts of Asia and most of the Arab world.
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