la·va·bo /ləˈveɪboʊ, -ˈvɑ-/

–noun, plural -boes.
1. Ecclesiastical.

a. the ritual washing of the celebrant’s hands after the offertory in the Mass, accompanied in the Roman rite by the recitation of Psalm 26:6–12.
b. the passage recited.
c. the small towel or the basin used.

2. (in many medieval monasteries) a large stone basin equipped with a number of small orifices through which water flowed, used for the performance of ablutions.

3. a washbowl with a spigot-equipped water tank above, both mounted on a wall: now often used for decoration or as a planter.

Origin:
1855–60; < L lavābō: I shall wash

Source: Dictionary.com.

The abbot was waiting for us next to a little fountain, with a white cloth to wipe our hands after the lavabo, following the ancient counsels of Saint Pachomius.

Source: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.