# שיש (bathroom counter)



## sawyeric1

One of my tutors said that in Israel they call the counter in bathrooms שיש (which means "marble") because they are always made out of marble. I told him a lot of bathroom counters in the US are laminate. He said he didn't know what to call them in Hebrew in that case. Does anyone know? 

Thanks


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## shalom00

They used to be made of marble, today it does not matter what they are made of, it is still שיש.


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## sawyeric1

My tutor just messaged me this in response to showing him this thread: 

_The word for garbage can is another example - it is called פח which is a name of a metallic material even if it's made out of plastic usually_


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## slus

Yes, and the kitchen counter is also called שיש - at my parents' home we had a stainless steel שיש.


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## slus

שם המאמר: יש לי פח מפלסטיק


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## amikama

sawyeric1 said:


> I told him a lot of bathroom counters in the US are laminate. He said he didn't know what to call them in Hebrew in that case. Does anyone know?


Probably פורמייקה.


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## Drink

amikama said:


> Probably פורמייקה.



But would you call the counter itself פורמייקה?


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## shalom00

Not commonly, unless you wanted to emphasize the type of material.


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## Drink

That's what I thought.


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## sawyeric1

Is there a plural of שיש?


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## amikama

sawyeric1 said:


> Is there a plural of שיש?


Technically שֵישים, but I've never seen it in the wild...


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